11.

Dale’s mirth wouldn’t last long.

The golem, Garnax, and Black Flame went blow for blow. The construct had the weight advantage, but the red-haired boy was thrown backwards less and less with every exchange. Their clash was also so titanic and the view so obstructed that neither I nor Dale himself could get a good hit in, making it a one-on-one battle.

I was starting to realise no one beat Gwgon one-on-one.

Garnax wanted to try though. It stomped the floor as Gwgon rushed forward, and a sheet of ice spread over the ground. Black Flame’s fire-enhanced feet bit into the ice sheet, preventing him from sliding and falling on his face. Then the golem threw up his foot. A crystalline wave, reminiscent of my own final move, burst forth, smashing into Gwgon, whose momentum carried him through the ice but caused him to stumble. Garnax didn’t miss the chance. The golem caught Gwgon in the air with a right hook that had all of its mass behind it. The side of Gwgon’s stomach deformed and there was a crack.

Despite the obvious damage to his ribs, Gwgon’s face remained passive. Even as the golem angled its punch towards the floor so Black Flame didn’t fly away but crashed into the ground instead. Garnax lifted its heel and planted it in the centre of Gwgon’s stomach, cratering the floor beneath them.

A scream. I frowned and whipped around. Kate was on one knee, a spray of blood curving through the air with her thigh as the origin. At the end of the gush was Gwgon’s beast companion. Over its nails had grown a second set of claws that were deep and dark, the edges sizzling and smouldering. Pieces of meat were skewered onto them as if someone had tried to make satay.

‘Go support the others!’ Dale commanded. ‘I’ve got this—’

Garnax’s leg shattered up to the shin, and the golem went down. It tried to struggle to its feet but black flames clung to the stump of its foot, keeping it from regenerating.

My eyes widened. What just happened?

No one answered. Gwgon removed himself from underneath the wreckage of cracked stone and pouring lava. He lorded over Garnax like some dark deity, black flames clinging to his hair and chest. He raised his palm palm, and a sphere of energy formed in the middle. I watched in horror as black fire gathered in such a concentrated amount that the very air combusted around it. Gwgon aimed at the golem’s head, moving to destroy it for good.

Dale grunted, veins popping on his head. The golem’s leg regenerated with a pop and it whirled in place, slamming Gwgon into the reflecting pool in the centre of the arena. A fountain of water burst from the pool, landing on the sides, where it mixed with heated ground. The lava must’ve heated the waters because the level of the pool was down to barely half and parts of it were boiling.

I didn’t hesitate a moment longer.

‘Help them!’ I yelled, leaping and crossing metres in a single, great jump that had a quarter of my remaining maura behind it.

My sight blurred as I smashed into the water but they locked onto my target instantly. Garnax had smashed Gwgon into one of the walls, leaving the boy with one of his feet stuck.

Perfect, I thought. My maura flared and I was on him. At least, that’s what I wanted to say. Gwgon looked back and flourished his sword. Black flames coursed through the water, razor sharp and causing the liquid to burst and rise where it touched.

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He can use his flames underwater?! The revelation was nearly enough to catch me off-guard, but I used my striding to curve underneath the attack and landed on the floor of the pool on all fours. I clicked my tongue. There was barely any room to manoeuvre. Worse was that the lava was pouring through the cracks that had formed in the walls of the pool. That’s when one of my senses caught up to my adrenaline. My skin went red. I would’ve screamed if I wasn’t underwater. The pool was cooking me alive.

So, I rushed. There was a minute left on the clock. Yet I was ending this, here and now. Another slash of flame tried to intercept me as I dove forward. My spear took care of it. Gwgon’s foot came loose but then I was onto him for real. Black Flame may be able to use his fire underwater, but his movement was another thing entirely. He was in the same boat as I was when I first entered the pool near the siren’s gate—sluggish and slow. More forceful than anything else. My spear slapped aside his sword with ease, and I scored the first good hit of our entire battle.

The tip of my weapon pierced into the lower part of his stomach, then dug into the wall, pinning Gwgon once more. He latched onto the spear with one hand immediately, trying to pull it out but the weapon wouldn’t budge—as if it recognised that someone besides its owner was trying to use it.

I smiled. You’re in my territory now, Black Flame. My hand reached for a set of weapons I hadn’t used in a while: there was no whistle as the dagger left its sheathe. I rested my feet on either side of his body for grip and jammed the dagger into his swordarm, nailing that to the wall as well. My iron grip locked onto his remaining arm, which was still trying to pull my spear out. I couldn’t get him to let go.

So, I socked him in the mouth multiple times, dislodging his front teeth. Between lining up another punch, Gwgon opened his mouth. I frowned as I stared at a dark void. Then I snapped my neck to the side, and a beam of black flame missed the centre of my throat, grazing past the side instead and taking some of my shoulder with it.

That stunned me. And for a second I contemplated my entire life. Then, I started punching him again. I didn’t need to go back up to catch my breath, because so much lava had entered the pool now that the water level was speeding past my head fast enough.

Eventually, Gwgon’s arm went limp. That’s when I fastened his other limb to the wall with my remaining, free dagger. It left him resembling something of a starfish. Only with bloody, steaming water around him.

He eyed me and went eerily still. The water level descended below our mouths, and I heaved for breath. There was a pause, then, where his cracked lips parted.

‘…su…’

I grabbed the shaft of my spear before he could say the name of an art. The sharp edge cut horizontally twice, and Gwgon’s upper body came loose from his lower, which sunk to the bottom of the pool, joining the solidified lava that rested there. Ripping open parts of his hands, I threw his upper body over the edge of the pool and jumped after him. When I landed, butt of my spear leaning on the floor for support, I was about ready to collapse. When I looked to my side, though, I saw Black Flame was still eyeing me. The house was yet abandoned. However, a light was on in the living room. Black Flame spoke again. I moved to be ahead of him, but I stopped when I heard what he said.

‘…Aysu…’ he whispered.

My head drew back in shock. I blinked repeatedly, going over the word a hundred times in the span of a second to consider what he’d said.

‘What?’ I said, my voice rising an octave. Then the light in the living room died. Stricken, I grabbed onto Gwgon’s shoulder. The warmth was gone, yet I shook him and repeated myself. No response.

Footsteps approached from behind.

‘He’s dead,’ came Dale’s voice.

‘I know,’ I snapped, whirling on him just in time to see his nose turn up.

‘Then leave him be. Hunters like him deserve more respect from people like you.’

My heart pounding, I let go of Gwgon’s shoulder and rose.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Pounding blood was in my ears as a nasty smirk consumed his lips. My gaze narrowed. He was cradling his upper arm, I saw. Injured. I could use that. Garnax was also on the other side, crouched near the corpse of Gwgon’s beast companion that had a giant spike of ice piercing through its stomach. But the construct was too far to help. My hand went to my spear. If I unleashed my final move—

‘Are you two planning on kissing?’ I glanced to the side, where Twin A was quickly approaching. He smiled. ‘I hope I didn’t interrupt.’

The barrier was dying around us, the lava was retreating from the floor, leaving more ground accessible. Twin B (if it even was Twin B and not A) was helping Kate onto her feet while Boris and Hero supported a worn down May. The battle was over.

‘No,’ I said, walking towards the others. ‘We’re done here.’

Dale was still smiling when I passed him.