Jace saves Cole

  Cole separated from the balcony in the air before he could kick off it with his Jumping Sword. He watched in shocked terror as he plunged toward the ground. Without someplace to jump from, his sword was useless. The golden rope snaked around him, pulling him close to Jace and Violet. While one end of the rope bound them together, the other stretched to the balustrades of a different balcony, and suddenly they were swinging instead of falling.

  The detached balcony smashed below them as the threesome swooped sideways, angling downward at first, then curving upward with terrific speed. The golden rope went limp as the balcony to which it was attached broke from the castle as well. Once again Cole and his friends were sailing through the air. Still holding them together, the golden rope spiraled beneath them into the form of an enormous spring that absorbed the impact and deposited them safely onto the ground. Off to one side, the second balcony crashed to the courtyard in an explosion of shattered stone.

Chapter 8