The fireball began its descent—slow and steady, like a dying sun pulled to earth.
Screams rose across the settlement. People scattered in every direction, some stumbling, others frozen in place. Chaos churned under the burning sky.
The salamander didn't move. It stared up, grinning as the sphere of flame neared. Its laughter echoed across Ironhold, thick and cruel.
Then, a flash.
A fist struck the fireball from the side, hurling it across the sky.
It crashed in the distance with a blinding explosion. The blast shook the earth. A wall of flame rose over the far hills, high enough to swallow cities.
The crowd fell silent.
The creature's grin vanished.
It turned.
Kael stood at the crater's edge, steam rising from his shoulders, a wall of fire curling behind him. He smiled.
The air rippled around his body.
Ash blinked.
'What is he doing?'
Alex moved forward, ready to join the fight—but a wall of fire burst up between him and the battlefield, cutting off his path.
