Clementine’s head snapped around just in time to see the explosion of stone. Instinct took over, and she lurched to one side, trying to get out the way of the falling bits of rock. But I reached out, dug my hand into the back of her tuxedo vest, and held on tight, keeping one eye on the statue all the while. My deadweight took Clementine by surprise and made her pull up short. She grunted and lunged forward again, causing her vest to rip down the back. So I lashed out, driving my foot into the back of her knee and making her land on her ass on the walkway.

She sat right in front of the old man and his spear.

Clementine started to crab-walk backward to get out of the way of the falling stone, but she put her elbow down in the same puddle of water that I had earlier, causing her arm to slip out from under her.

Before she could even think about moving again, I focused on the statue once more, forcing my power down into the old man’s remaining arm. His fingers twitched, and the spear wobbled back and forth, causing more bits of stone to break off the figure.

Come on, old man, I thought, still staring at the statue. Come on!

I sent out one last, final burst of magic, putting everything I had into the statue, bending it to my will.

The old man’s right arm snapped down and forward, ramming the stone spear straight through Clementine’s chest.

The weight of the blow threw her back and pinned her to the ground right next to me, even as the rest of my magic ripped through the statue unchecked.

For a moment, there was just—noise.

Crash after crash after crash as the rest of the statue toppled over, broke off into chunks, and went flying through the boathouse. One of the old man’s legs sailed through the air and disappeared with a plop into the river. His head spun around and around in a circle on the floor, rattling this way and that like a child’s top that was out of control. Dust choked the air, and it seemed as though the entire boathouse bucked and heaved for several seconds before the statue finally stopped breaking apart and the marble settled into place once more.

I rolled over onto my side and lay there, panting against the pain that flooded my ribs and collarbone. I was all out of magic, and the numbing effect of my Ice power was rapidly wearing off. But I didn’t mind the pain—it told me that I was still alive.

And so was Clementine.