XXXIIA ball of red flame engulfed the base of the pillar, lighting up the smoke a livid red. A heartbeat later, a wall of sound crashed into them, throwing everyone to the ground. Shielded behind the outcrop of rock, Finn and the others were spared the worst of it. The armed ironclads and wreckers were less lucky.
Finn crouched with his arms over his head. He could feel the heat from the blast on the backs of his hands. After several seconds, he peeped at the scene around him through his fingers. People were staggering to their feet. Some of the ironclads had lost their masks. All their faces were vivid with shock. They lurched or crawled away, all their differences forgotten in their desperation to flee the scene of the explosion.
Finn, too, tried to rise. They had to get away. But the
