The Lord was standing in the ruins of the garden, his hand plunged into the soil, trying to locate the physical Core.
Come out, Little Gardener, he projected, his voice shaking the valley. Hiding in the dirt like a rat.
Suddenly, the earth beneath his feet rippled.
He looked down.
A massive, iron-hard root erupted from the ground, wrapping around his ankle.
What is this?
More roots burst forth—dozens, hundreds. They were the immune system of the valley, responding to my call. They didn't have the strength to crush him, but they had the strength to hold him.
For a second.
He slashed with his hand, the bone blade slicing through the roots. But for every one he cut, two more took its place.
"A distraction," I whispered in the tunnel. "That's all it is. He's strong. He'll break free."
"Then we use the time," Alex said. "Where does this tunnel lead? The river exit?"
"Yes," I said. "It's a mile walk."
"If we can get to the river," Marcus said, "we can use the current to get away. He won't expect us to go into the water."
"We're not running," I said.
They looked at me.
"We can't stay," my mother said softly, touching my arm. "Evie, look at us. We can't fight a god."
"He's not a god," I said. "He's a parasite. He's feeding on the Mist. Without the Mist... he's just a corpse."
I looked at Dr. Okoye. "The Null-Dust. From the trade."
Her eyes widened. "The powder that severs psychic links? I have a pouch."
"That's our weapon," I said. "We don't kill him with strength. We kill him by disconnecting him from his power."
"How do we get close enough to use it?" Alex asked. "He's covered in armor. And zombies."
I looked at the ceiling. The roots were still fighting above.
"I'll give you an opening," I said. "But you have to be ready."
I concentrated. I found the main root—the mother root that fed the entire valley. It was pulsing with energy.
I channeled everything I had left into it.
Grow.
The root exploded upward, carrying me with it.
I burst through the soil of the garden, rising into the night air on a pillar of wood, like a surfer riding a wave of earth.
The Lord looked up, surprised.
I was twenty feet in the air, looking down at him.
"Hey," I said, blood dripping from my nose.
He roared and lunged, his bone blade slashing.
I jumped.
I fell toward him, the pouch of Null-Dust in my hand.
I threw it.