Akiya stumbled again, catching herself against what looked like a wall made of frozen lightning. She was at her limit, blood still trickling from wounds that refused to close. But her eyes burned with something the constructs hadn't expected—calculation."How much further?" Miko asked, testing Elena's responses."Not far now," the construct replied. "The convergence point exists between heartbeats. We're almost there.""Good," Akiya said suddenly, straightening despite her exhaustion. "Because I'm done pretending to be weaker than I am."The constructs stopped as one, turning to look at her."Akiya?" Miko's voice held warning and hope in equal measure."Sorry, Miko." She smiled, and flames began to dance around her fingers. "But I finally figured it out. Took me long enough, but watching them move, listening to them talk... they're not people. They're not even really alive.""How astute," Renn said dryly. "We told you as much.""No, you told us you were constructs. But I don't think y