Raith says nothing as he parries, dodges, and thrusts. I do my best to stay out of the way, darting inside the siphon's guard to land blows when it's distracted by Raith.

More black blood has splattered across the floor now, making our footing uncertain on the slick substance.

The fight rages, everything happening so fast I can only process bits and pieces. Pyrin and Typhon battling beside us, the horrific monster snarling and suffering dozens of wounds but still fighting, Raith constantly putting his body between me and danger. Protecting me. Always protecting me.

"We need to end this," Raith mutters, his breathing heavy. "It's not getting tired, but we are."

He's right. My vision is already blurring at the edges, my muscles burning with exertion. Even Typhon seems diminished, his movements less fluid, his attacks less powerful. The gushing wounds seem to be making him smaller, too, as if his essence is leaking away.

Sensing weakness, the void lion disengages from the elementals and lunges toward us.

Toward Raith.

Everything slows.

I see Raith turning, his sword rising too late to block. I see the lion's claws extended, ready to tear through flesh. I see the siphon watching with those terrible black eyes, satisfaction already apparent in its twisted features.

No. Not him. Not Raith.

I move without conscious thought, throwing myself between Raith and the void lion. My dagger thrusts upward, catching the beast under its jaw as its momentum carries us both to the ground. Void magic washes over me like acid, burning wherever it touches, but I don't let go.

"Nessa!" Raith's voice sounds far away.

The lion hisses and limps to the side of the siphon, joining the other two creatures.

Raith is at my side in an instant, his hand on my shoulder steadying me. "What were you thinking?"

"You're welcome," I manage, the room spinning slightly.

The siphon studies us, its head tilted unnaturally. "How touching. The fire affinity and the unbound, fighting together."

Raith positions himself in front of me, sword raised. Typhon and Pyrin flank us, both elementals obviously weakened but still defiant.

The siphon and his elementals rush us one last time. It's a chaos of bestial roars, flaring magic, and slashing blades.

We're losing. The realization settles over me with cold clarity. We've held our own longer than I would have thought possible, but the siphon is too strong, and we're only delaying our deaths.

Raith suffers a deep cut to his leg, sags, and then the siphon catches him by the throat.

"Raith!" I shout, trying to charge but the void lion puts itself between us. I try to blast it with more steam, but I've channeled too much. The elements in the room are drained and I have nothing left. Typhon and Pyrin slam into the beast, but the fight is a maelstrom of fire, water, and void magic that I can't get past.