Asher shouted in warning, shoving Norrah into Penn and sending them both to the ground as the Fienta landed where they had been standing. This one was a lump of tangled tentacles that flopped against the sand as it pulled itself up, rising in height as a sharp ball beneath spun and clicked. Asher ripped the rapier free from where he’d hooked it on his belt, but Norrah swung first, catching the middle of the taller tentacles, and cleaving through it. It collapsed back down, and Asher drove the rapier into its middle, piercing the ball of spikes and driving the blade deep until it stopped moving.

‘Did you want your sword back?’ he asked Norrah.

‘No. I like this one,’ Norrah said.

Three more Fienta burst into the square, throwing themselves back as they met the ring of fire, before turning and tearing into the guards. Shots burst out and screams rang louder, and Asher rushed towards one bug-looking man with wide lensed eyes and a fused shell in its back, right as the creature tore the arm from a nearby guard and regarded it with its own buggy joints, before tossing it aside and grabbing the other one. Asher slashed at the thin joint of the bug’s leg, snapping it before the blade caught against bone, and the creature whirled to face him.

Asher recoiled, then threw his fist forward and let the heat surge up his arm again as his hand plunged into the Fienta’s eyes. White hot flame exploded from the back of the creature’s head, causing the eye to burst into a mess of gore and smoke. The Fienta shrieked, falling back and thrashing wildly, before another stab to its chest turned it still. Asher shook the fleshy bits from his hand, but that same heat still surging under his skin burned the gore, evaporating it until an unmarked hand remained.

The pressure burst then, the air popping with a sharp pain in Asher’s ears. Penn screamed, loud and angry from across the square, and Asher felt the metal band on his wrist tug towards the other man before another ripple tore across the sky. Another pulsed across the ground, making the buildings around them jump with a deafening crash. Penn screamed louder, shoving his hands into his ears. Dread locked Asher in place, a cold, sapping fear that was not entirely his.

Another pulse tore across the ground, but as Asher scrambled over to Penn, the ground began to shake, a rumble growling deep beneath their feet, before growing louder and angrier, until Asher had to drive his cane deep into the sand just to stand. The pressure came down again, a wall of hot air that slammed down on his shoulders, once again snatching the air from his lungs, and not letting any down. He struggled, sucking in nothing at all as his chest burned, strength sapping from his muscles.

Then, with one final pulse and a deep roar that tore up from deep underground, the world flipped over.

Sand and salt rained down over them, and Asher threw his hands over his head, blinking grains from his eyes as the buildings around him, reversed. Their roofs sank deep into the ground, doors and windows swinging open as their foundations turned upside down. Foundations jutted into the air, staircases turned and ended at nothingness above, then the lack of structure made each of them implode.

The tops of the buildings around the square, now in the ground and struggling under the weight of the heavier ground floors, crumpled under the pressure and caved downwards, causing walls of brick and wood and stone to crash in on itself, flattening into rubble. Some buildings swayed as they came down, locking into each other as they fell apart, creating a mess of rubbish and ruin around them. Only the Town Hall stood standing, still the right way up, now surrounded by a flattened landscape of nothing.

Standing on the stairs, staring at them, were dozens of Fienta.

Asher slowly lifted himself to his feet, Norrah catching his arm to help him up. Penn remained kneeling in front of him, the man’s body tense and buzzing with an energy Asher was sure would burn. One of the Fienta stepped forward, a humanoid figure wrapped completely in old, bloodied bandages. Blades jutted from the gaps between the fabric, rusted and brown with old stains, the angles of some making the creature’s movements stilted.

‘Only one warden.’ Its voice was raspy and scratching, made muffled by one of the blades bursting from its jugular. It gave an excited jump, then, louder; ‘There’s only one warden!’

Asher lunged to the side, reaching for the fiery ring that enclosed them, but his boots only met more sand, now fused with rubble and dust and blood. The ring had been covered, the flames smothered, and nothing stood between them and the monsters.

Claws raked through his hair, gripping the back of his head in a tight, sharp grip and dragging him backwards. Asher cried out and threw his sword over his head, meeting resistance as the Fienta behind him shrieked and let go. He rolled around as two more descended on him, and he flung the sword wide, slashing through both their middle. One collapsed to the ground, but the other – a human with a pig head and rotting skin – snapped the top half of its body upright and lunged again.

Norrah charged forward, spinning her own sword in her hand and taking the creatures head clean off. She hauled Asher to his feet, and he let the momentum carry him into a parry that caught a curved sword jutting from a horse’s back half.

Penn shouted out again, thrusting upward and throwing his arms wide. The cobblestone road, still buried under the rubble, burst upward into jagged points, warping the ground into a forest of stone blades that crossed into each other, locking off the stairs of the town hall. He then whirled around and splayed a hand towards Asher. The ground by his feet cracked, then burst open, and a familiar white haze erupted from the hole.

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Asher let another surge of heat rush through him, and as the next creature charged, he swung his cane wide, letting the dust rain down the wood and spray the Fienta in the head. The creature sizzled and its waxy form melted, but it shook off the burns and threw itself at Asher.

Asher leapt out of the way, then swore as another creature slammed into his back, hot, wet fur sticking fast and throwing him to the ground. He thrashed and tried to throw it off, but the spirits still searing through his chest wouldn’t release through his back.

The weight vanished as Norrah ripped her sword through the furry mass, kicking it off him before whirling around on yet another creature that flung itself at her, only for it to freeze before it reached her, and fall forward.

Temperance stood behind it, yanking free a bloody fist from its flank. She looked just as frazzled as she had that day behind the bar, the last time Dalvany was thrown into chaos. She blew a strand of hair from her face, then fixed the twin iron knuckle dusters further down her fingers.

‘Is there a plan, or are we just fighting?’ she asked.

Before Asher could reply, vines and tree roots burst from the ground and entangled half-dozen Fienta, wrapping around their limbs and ripping them apart. One creature torn in half straightened itself, and both halves lumbered forward. Penn charged at them, twisted branches in both of his hands shot forward, impaling both halves and pinning them to the ground.

‘Keep them here, and the Nakati can fix the Gate,’ Penn told Temperance. ‘Fight them off.’ He backed up next to Asher, and the metal bands on their wrists knocked together. ‘There’s not enough Nakati,’ he mumbled.

Another creature charged at them and Asher tossed a handful of dust at it. A shout from Penn made it explode into white flame.

‘Do you need to go back?’ Asher asked.

Penn shook his head. ‘Teka can lead them. We will have a lot longer fight here.’

A tree root shot from the ground between them, and Penn tore it from the ground as the knots straightened and formed a spear.

‘Watch for doorways,’ Penn said. He then charged towards a new group of Fienta.

Norrah had left the ring of sand completely, backed onto the rubble of a building with two town guards and fighting another stitched together monstrosity, another bird with a human head that stood twice as tall as the last one.

Asher rushed toward them, then stumbled as his cane sank into the sand, swallowed by a quickly forming hole. He staggered back, then narrowly avoided another tall lump of only fur fell towards him. He jammed the rapier towards it, but it curled away at an unnatural angle before flipping forward again.

A bullet lodged in its side, making the creature pause as a fresh-faced guard in a too-big uniform readied another shot, bullets raining from their pockets as they did. The Fienta turned and flopped towards the guard, dodging another shot as it lunged. Asher charged after it, managing to catch the thick, matted fur on the tip of his sword as another shot aimed forward, whizzing past Asher’s ear as the creature dodged. Asher swung the rapier against the curve of its body, and a blade stuck fast in the Fienta’s side. The next shot caught the creature in the head, and the recoil sent Asher’s blade through its body.

The guard stared at the fallen monster, then he lifted the rifle at Asher’s face. A Fienta tore the guard’s arms off before they could fire.

Weight slammed into Asher’s side, throwing him into the ground, and he swung his cane wide, but human hands pinned him down. A flash of blonde hair crossed his vision before Olive’s head slammed into his, sending a shock of pain through his skull. He shook the stars from his vision as the captain straddled him, pinning him to the ground. Asher growled in frustration, but Olive held firm.

‘What are you doing?’ Asher demanded.

‘What are you doing?’ Olive snapped. ‘Is this what you wanted? Is this part of your plan, you fucking traitor?’

‘I don’t work for them!’ Asher cried. ‘We’re on the same side, you idiot!’

The outburst surged power through his arms, and Olive recoiled before punching him hard in the face. They tasselled and rolled in the sand, avoiding hits and taking others, and as much as Olive wouldn’t let him grab the rapier that was just out of reach, he never let Olive pull either of her pistols free. Instead, as the sounds of screams and roars filled the air around them, it was only fists and kicks as they threw all their strength at each other.

Asher felt another ripple more than he saw it, a flash of energy against the magic in his chest, and it gave him enough pause for Olive to shove him away and throw her weight into his middle, driving his head down into the sand. Dry, salty grit filled his mouth, but he shook her away easily and scrambled away from her, away from the centre of the ash ring, moments before it opened up beneath them. Others around him yelled out in alarm as it grew wider, the sand turning to ash then falling away into nothing except an empty black beneath. Asher staggered back, but Olive wasn’t as fast.

She ran as the growing ash ring crossed under her boots, and she quickly stumbled, then slipped back into the hole. Her hands scratched for purchase on the sand, but her eyes grew wide as she continued to fall. Asher cursed and rushed forward, stretching out his arm as far as he could.

‘Grab my hand!’ he cried.

Olive stared at him, her eyes growing wider.

‘Come on!’ he snapped.

Olive slipped from the sand and fell into the black below, vanishing into its depths. Asher swore, his frustration burning into another surge of magic. A pole came down next to his still outstretched hand, and Asher flinched, finally grabbing his rapier.

‘Don’t try it, kid.’ Clyde held the other with a group of his workers, nodding for him to take the other end. Asher gripped it tight with one hand, the other snatching up his cane as the group dragged him out of the sand and beyond the first ring, into the rubble-strewn remains of the town.

‘Thanks,’ Asher mumbled.

‘We’re not doing that right now either,’ Clyde said. ‘You’ve known what’s been going on before any of us.’

Asher flinched.

‘Tell us what we gotta do,’ Clyde said. ‘How do we drive these ugly bastards back?’

Asher glanced around, but saw no sign of Penn. Norrah was still fighting off the bird-monster, the other guards nowhere to be seen. There were less Fienta now, but less people too. ‘We’ve been trying to get everyone to the Manor,’ he said. ‘Can you check the damage for survivors?’

Clyde grinned and smacked him on the shoulder. ‘You keep being on our side, and I won’t toss you out again, how about that?’ He turned to the small group around him. ‘No-one here is playing the hero. Buddy up, split, and get back to the manor before dark. If you gotta run straight there, I’m not about to judge you.’

A few of the men exchanged nervous glances, and Asher noticed two had rifles slung over their shoulders. Before he could get any words out, one of them handed over a rifle after a simple gesture, and another pulled a small box of bullets from his pocket. Asher took the box and placed his hand over the rows of metal, urging another surge of magic out that quickly filled the gaps with the dust. He then closed the lid, shook it violently, then passed it back.

‘Those will work against the monsters,’ Asher said. He nodded at Clyde, who nodded back.

He then turned and rushed towards Norrah.