I jumped away, backpedalling, thumping into the wall. The golem adjusted its aim to focus on me, the laser emitter sighting on my chest.

Light bloomed from behind the golem. A blast of flame stabbed out, washing off the construct’s back.

The golem halted, turned. A figure strode out of the dust, wreathed in flame. The fire around it hid its form; all I could make out was a vaguely humanoid shape with glowing eyes. A second blast hit the golem before it could finish turning around. This one was narrower, more focused, a near-white beam the width of two fingers that was too bright to look at. It burnt into the golem and I saw armour glowing and melting, molten gold spattering to the floor.

The golem fired, but as it did the figure raised a hand. The laser struck the fiery shape, hit a shield. The golden line fuzzed and faded. The white-hot beam didn’t. It kept going, burning into the golem. The golem took one stride forward, then its back went white and the beam burst all the way through, streaming out the other side. The heat was so intense that I had to shield my face. Through my fingers I saw the golem jerk, shudder. The beam sawed, melting the golem from the inside out.

With a groan the golem fell, toppling with a crash that shook the house. Just for an instant I saw something expand from the metal body, stretching, sinking into the floor, then it was gone. The golem’s remains lay still and some light seemed to have vanished from its golden eyes.

The fiery shape turned to me and I nearly flinched. It looked like a man sculpted from flame, invulnerable, godlike. Fires had broken out all around it, licking at its feet. For a moment I felt as though I were facing down some sort of fire spirit, not a human being.

Then all of a sudden the flame shield winked out and Landis was standing there. He was dressed in some sort of close-fitting body armour I didn’t recognise, and he looked brisk and full of energy. “Verus! Glad to see you made it, good job on the distraction. What’s your status?”

The floor around Landis’s feet was on fire. He didn’t seem to have noticed, and I dragged my eyes away. “Caldera’s hurt,” I said. Adrenaline was still pumping through me and I wanted to move, to fight. “The kid we were protecting, he ran that way. We need to find him.”

“Leaving some of the fun for us, eh?” Landis said cheerfully. He turned just as another fiery shape came out of the smoke behind him. Again the fire hid the person’s features, but I recognised the signature of the magic and I knew it was Variam. “He’s running,” Variam said. “Do we chase?”

“Not this time, we’ve got a civilian to find. Description, Verus?”

“His name’s Leo. Boy, about ten, thin, blond hair. Wearing jeans and a black top. There was a force mage covering the door. He’s gone, but—”