Brynn darted forward, her blades scoring lines across the golem's leg, drawing its attention as promised.The construct pivoted with surprising speed, one massive arm swinging in a deadly arc that Brynn barely avoided.
Thalia circled to the golem's rear, trying to ignore the whispers that plagued her mind—her mother's voice now, pleading for help, describing horrors that weren't real.She closed her eyes briefly, centering herself as she had been trained, then opened them again with renewed focus.
She reached for her current-sensing ability, the talent that had served her so well in the forge.It came to her differently now, filtered through the glacenite's distorting lens, but still present.She let her awareness expand, seeking the flow of energy through the massive construct before her.
There—a pulsating nexus of power nestled within the golem's chest cavity.Unlike the steady, controlled energy of Frostforge's ice-metal golems, this core surged and ebbed like a living thing, a captured storm raging against its prison.Lightning concentrated there, branching outward to animate the rest of the construct's frame.
"The core is in its chest!"Thalia shouted above the din of battle."It's unstable—pure lightning, contained somehow in that central chamber!"
Senna nodded sharply, her hands already weaving complex patterns as she summoned her cryomancy.Ice crept up the golem's legs, momentarily anchoring it in place."Hurry!"she gasped, the strain of controlling such powerful magic evident in her voice."I can't hold it long!"
Kaine hurled a piece of broken column at the golem's head, the projectile connecting with a metallic clang that echoed through the hall."Here!"he shouted, drawing the construct's attention as Brynn circled to its other side.
With a deafening crack, the ice encasing the golem's legs shattered.It lurched forward, one massive fist descending toward Kaine, who rolled aside at the last moment.The floor where he had stood splintered under the impact, stone chips flying like shrapnel.
Brynn had used the distraction to begin climbing the golem's back, her fingers finding purchase in the seams between metal plates.In her hand, a shard of ice began to take shape, growing until it was nearly three feet long—a makeshift spear formed from her cryomancy.She climbed with desperate speed, the golem twisting and turning as it tried to dislodge her.
"Keep it distracted!"Thalia called to Kaine and Senna, scooping up a piece of broken stone and hurling it at the construct's face.The projectile bounced harmlessly off its metallic visage, but drew its attention momentarily from Brynn's ascent.
Senna renewed her assault, sending waves of frost up the golem's legs while Kaine darted in to strike at its knees with his hammer.The construct staggered, off-balance for a precious moment.
Brynn reached its shoulder, her face a mask of grim determination as she raised the ice spear.She had a clear shot at the seam in the center of its chest, the gap that Thalia had identified as housing the core.For a heartbeat, victory seemed within reach.
Then the golem twisted violently, one hand reaching up to swat at the irritant on its shoulder.Brynn tried to dodge, but there was nowhere to go.The massive metal palm connected with her body, sending her flying across the hall to crash against a column.She slid to the floor and lay still, her glacenite blades clattering beside her.
"Brynn!"Thalia's cry was lost in the thunderous sound of the golem's movements.
A blur of movement—Luna darting across the battlefield, her small form weaving between debris as she reached Brynn's side.With strength that belied her size, she dragged Brynn's limp form behind a fallen column, out of the golem's immediate path.
The ice spear Brynn had crafted lay on the floor, still intact, its crystalline surface reflecting the lightning that danced across the golem's frame.Thalia's gaze fixed on it, a desperate plan forming in her mind.
She reached for her cryomancy, feeling the familiar cold spread through her fingertips.This was not a strong skill of hers, but desperation lent her focus.She wouldn’t have been able to conjure the ice weapon herself, but she could manipulate it.The ice spear rose shakily from the ground, hovering at her command, its tip aimed at the golem's chest.
Thalia thrust her hand forward, channeling momentum into the suspended spear.It shot forward like a bolt from a crossbow, its trajectory true despite the trembling in Thalia's limbs.The spear pierced the gap in the golem's chest, driving deep into the heart of the construct.
For a moment, nothing happened.Then lightning exploded outward from the wound, arcing in all directions as the contained storm sought escape.The golem shuddered, its movements becoming erratic, then jerky, then ceased altogether.With a sound like a mountain collapsing, it fell forward, crashing to the stone floor with such force that the entire hall trembled.
Silence fell, broken only by the distant sounds of battle from other parts of the academy and the hissing of electricity as it dissipated from the fallen construct.Thalia staggered, her legs suddenly unable to support her weight.Kaine was at her side in an instant, his arm around her waist, keeping her upright.
"You did it," he murmured, his voice rough with exhaustion and something that might have been pride.
Before she could respond, movement atop the fallen golem caught her eye.A figure rose from behind the construct's head.A Warden, but different from the others.His leather cowl was adorned with silver lightning bolts, and electricity crackled between his fingertips as he surveyed the devastation.A mage.Based on the fury in his eyes as he took in the fallen form of the construct, this was the mage who had been controlling its onslaught.
His gaze found Thalia, recognition and rage flashing in his eyes.Without warning, he thrust both hands forward, channeling a bolt of pure lightning directly at her heart.
Thalia had no time to dodge, no strength left to raise a shield of ice.She braced for pain, for darkness, for an end.
Instead, a familiar form materialized between her and the deadly strike.Roran stood with his arms outstretched, his body absorbing the lightning that should have killed her.The electricity coursed over his skin, illuminating him from within as he channeled the power, redirecting it toward the wall in a controlled arc that scorched the ancient stone but harmed no one.
The Warden mage froze, his attack faltering as he stared at Roran.His lips moved, forming words that somehow carried through the chaos of battle, clear as crystal and cold as ice:
"Rorik Stormchild."
Roran's birth name—a name Thalia had only heard once before, a connection to a past he'd kept hidden.
Roran's expression hardened, determination replacing his momentary shock.He raised his hands, drawing on the storm that still raged above them, and sent a precise bolt of lightning toward the mage.It struck with surgical accuracy, enough to render the man unconscious but not to kill him.The mage collapsed atop the fallen golem, his silver-adorned helm rolling away across the stone floor.
"Are you alright?"Roran asked, turning to Thalia, concern evident in his dark eyes.
