The air changed, and a crackling discharge, like that released in a lightning storm, was emitted as the block was lowered into place. At the same time, the Earth Elemental turned its face towards its attacker, looking up and swinging an arm clumsily in an attempt to hit the thing streaking down towards it. Making no attempt to dodge the blow, the dragon opened its mouth and spewed forth a great column of seawater that struck the thing of rock and stone at full force in the chest, knocking it back off its feet. Mud and clay, boulders and stones as big as a man, fell from the Earth Elemental as it struggled upwards again. But the winged thing was no longer there. In one motion it climbed vertically, then turned over in the air so it was directly over its opponent.

Folding its wings again, the Water Elemental dropped out of the sky a second time. Head down, its long neck stretched out, it emitted a blood-curdling screech as it plummeted straight down, twisting at the last possible second to slam its vast tail into its foe. The Earth Elemental shattered like a china doll, bits of it flying in every direction until there was nothing left of the creature but scattered debris.

A small whimper escaped Fleya as the last of her strength threatened to leave her. With what remained, she begged the dragon to dive one last time; to smash those black glass towers in the same way it had smashed the golem.

But the Water Elemental was equally spent. Weakened to the point that she could hardly stand, Fleya looked on in horror as the great flying creature fell to the ground as a sheer mass of water that quickly turned it to a sodden, boggy mess.

The witch clenched her fists. This was not over. She had to get down there to stop the portal being activated by the lich. She had to—

Fleya heard the footsteps behind her, but it was too late. Pain exploded behind her eyes, and then darkness consumed her.

Lann and Astrid rode through the night, ignoring their fatigue and fears as they hurried towards Vissergott, pushing their horses to the limit in the hope of getting to Fleya before she was forced to take on Kelewulf and the lich alone. Bent over the necks of their beasts, they hardly spoke a word throughout the long ride.

Their encounter with the farmer and his family had stirred up something inside Astrid that she had not expected: she was homesick. She found herself longing for news of her brother. She’d left without telling him how proud she was of him or how much she loved him, and, with the realisation that she might never see him again, those missed words hung heavily on her.