Serenna nearly blurted that Jassyn shouldn’t worry—if they fell in different directions, she already knew who Lykor would prioritize saving. Lykor’s reaction when Jassyn had vanished beneath the earth stayed with her—the first flicker of fear she’d ever seen from him.
With a sharp exhale, Serenna rolled the fire into a burning ribbon. Flinging out her arm, she aimed the flames beneath the Starshard’s edge, fighting to pry it loose. Sizzling steam erupted where fire collided with ice, but the hide refused to melt with any speed.
At the same time, she reached through the bond, sensing Vesryn’s life force beginning to falter, weaker than before. Her heart stumbled up her throat as true fear settled, their time to save the prince running out.
The creature roared, slamming massive forelegs into the earth, fissures snaking across the ice as it barreled toward Lykor. Out of the corner of her eye, Serenna caught sight of Jassyn, trembling with the strain of reforging the shattered ice beneaththe beast, weaving the sundered lake back together by sheer force of will.
Another screeching whine pierced Serenna’s ears, the Starshard’s wail splintering her vision as the sound drove an axe of agony deep into her skull.
Her breath hitched as a cataclysmic wave of shadows exploded from the crystal.
A sudden burst of violet light webbed from Jassyn’s fingertips, the thrown shield vanishing into the canopy of rending.
Before Serenna could blink, the dome of darkness detonated, blotting out her view of Lykor.
The beast reared its head, eyeless gaze snapping toward the hum of Essence crackling in Jassyn’s palms. Rising to his feet, he cursed under his breath.
But Lykor emerged, encased in the shimmer of Jassyn’s protective ward. As the shield unraveled, he hurled another blast of force into the frozen flank. The magic detonated, cracking shards of ice from its hide.
With a shriek, the creature slid as it spun back toward Lykor, legs scraping across the broken ground.
Teeth clenched so tightly that her jaw ached, Serenna spooled her dwindling fire into another arc. When Lykor angled the behemoth’s head back toward her, she flung the flames toward the monster’s crown. The attack skated uselessly around the Starshard, the icy armor swallowing every flicker of heat.
Serenna’s pulse hammered as she poured everything she had into the molten ribbon. Frustration scorched her, cold beads of sweat clinging to her brow. “This is taking too long!”
A useless complaint to vent her desperation—she didn’t have any better ideas.
The earth trembled beneath her boots.
But it wasn’t from the monster’s wild charge.
Serenna’s eyes snapped to Fenn’s lingering portal the moment it erupted.
CHAPTER 39
SERENNA
Ageyser of lava burst through the portal in a volcanic torrent, spilling molten rock across the frozen lake. The air shimmered with waves of blistering heat as fire melted ice. Deep cracks splintered across the frozen surface before crumbling into the void below.
Lykor warped to Serenna and Jassyn’s side. “If we live through this,” he panted, his barked laughter half-hysterical, “I’m promoting Fenn above Kal.”
A grin spread across Serenna’s face as hope ignited. A realm away, Fenn’s presence flickered like a faint thread, but he’d managed to bridge the distance, stringing enough portals together to deliver the fire—a gift from the heart of the volcano itself.
She reached for the inferno, wrenching every scrap of flame under her control just as the portal cut the deluge off. An extension of her will, the fire obeyed, a wave surging up off the ground. But she’d have to be careful with the prince still trapped inside the beast.
Throwing out her hands, Serenna whipped the flames into a churning storm. The vortex roared to life, spiraling upward in a blazing cyclone before she hurled it straight at the Starshard.
Halfway across the lake, the behemoth didn’t waver. Didn’t veer from its rampaging charge, following the trail of Essence radiating from Lykor.
Dropping back to his knees, Jassyn shoved his palms against the frozen earth, forcing the splintering surface in the golem’s path to hold.
The torrent slammed into the creature’s face with cataclysmic force, the collision booming across the valley. Billows of steam erupted in violent clouds, hissing as the fire seared deep into frozen armor. Ice shrieked under the assault, fractures snaking across its neck and skull.
Faltering, the beast’s limbs shuddered as it nearly ground to a halt. Sparks and embers whirled where flames met frost. Every step became a battle, the massive bulk trembling as it fought through the raging torrent.
Serenna’s hands shook, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Sweat streaked her face, stinging her eyes as she funneled all of her power into the inferno.
Fire devoured ice.
