Jorvanultumn looked at Chiansamorkin, who gave a sad smile. “I can explain.”

“Where’s Meleng?” Sinitïa yelled. “What have you done with him?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t—”

Sinitïa rushed forward. “I trusted you!” She raised her fists at Chiansamorkin.

With a wave of her hand, Chiansamorkin conjured a column of air that Sinitïa bounced off. With a wave of his own hand, Jorvanultumn took the air column and brought it round as a cushion for Sinitïa to land on.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“It was not harmful. I would never harm her, or you. Please, Jorvanultumn, you have to believe me. I did not take Meleng Drago. I love you and would never hurt you like that!”

Sinitïa scrambled to her feet, small bits of colour dripping from her fingers. “Where is he? Where’s my Melly?” She ran at Chiansamorkin again, but a strong wind threw her backwards into the low-table. She slumped over.

“Stop!” Jorvanultumn yelled. “Chiansamorkin, stop!”

“She’s just unconscious. She’ll recover. But I had to stop her before she burned herself out.” Chiansamorkin clasped her hands in front of her face. “Please, Jorvanultumn, you have to listen to me. I didn’t take Meleng Drago, and I don’t know who did.”

Jorvanultumn stared at her. He had no idea what to do. How was this possible? He had known her his whole life. She could be fiery, a bit volatile at times, but she had never done anything to suggest she would worship Night.

Hilkorultumn stomped into the room. “What the hell is going on in here?” he demanded in Isyarian. His eyes fell on Sinitïa’s slumped form on the low-table. “What the…?”

“She’s Pundritta,” Jorvanultumn said slowly and quietly.

Hilkorultumn’s eyes widened and Chiansamorkin sneered.

A tear formed in Jorvanultumn’s eye. Gods, what had he just done?

Hilkorultumn’s wings spread out and with a flap, he gathered the air in the room into a funnel and threw it at Chiansamorkin. It picked her up and threw her across the room. “Jorvanultumn, with me. Two against one. She may be strong, but we can take her together.”

Chiansamorkin screamed and leapt into the air. Her wings beat and shards of rock flew at Hilkorultumn, who took control of them with a wave of his arm. They turned and flew back at Chiansamorkin.

She kicked out as she landed and a sheet of metal blocked the shards. Her wing whipped out to the side and ropes appeared at Hilkorultumn’s legs, wrapping round. “Stupid old man.” Another flap of the wing and more ropes bound his wrists.

Hilkorultumn fell forwards, but his wings fluttered, churning up the air around Chiansamorkin. “Jorvanultumn, don’t stand there! Help me!”

Jorvanultumn blinked. What was he doing? Hilkorultumn was right. He needed to help. He moved his hand in a circle and assisted with the winds around Chiansamorkin. With his wings, he took control of two of the ice crates, breaking them apart. As the folders fell to the floor, he sent the ice shards—not sharp; he didn’t want to hurt her more than necessary—at Chiansamorkin.

She kicked again, and another metal sheet appeared. Jorvanultumn was ready for that and he guided the shards around it, only for them to melt away in the wave of fire she brought up. The winds blew it out but not before there was nothing left of the ice.

Jorvanultumn stirred the winds up more, tried to push her up against the wall. Why were they having so little effect? He groaned. She had brought up her own column of winds holding his and Hilkorultumn’s back.

He moved the winds aside and used them to lift Sinitïa gently from the low-table. With careful steps, he then took control of the stone of the low-table and threw it at Chiansamorkin.

It didn’t reach her. Flames exploded from within the table and it shattered. Shards flew everywhere.

Jorvanultumn took control of as many of the shards as he could, focusing on those nearest Sinitïa, protecting her from harm. Shards pounded into his face, his chest, his shoulders. He stumbled back.

It took him a moment to regain his footing. He spun air around himself and Sinitïa to protect from further attack. Across the room, Hilkorultumn huddled, face-down, on the floor, his arms and legs still bound, his bloody and shredded wings spread around him. He had used them to protect his body from the stone.

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Chiansamorkin was breathing heavily. Blood dripped from a cut on her forehead. “Don’t make me kill you, Jorvanultumn. Please.”

Jorvanultumn lowered Sinitïa to the floor and then focused his attention on Chiansamorkin. He indicated Hilkorultumn. “Look what you’ve done!” He turned his feet side to side, taking control of the ice that formed the floor. “I have to stop you.”

She wiped tears from her eyes. “Then I’m sorry.”

She punched her fist forward and metal balls—dozens—flew at Jorvanultumn. He pulled air around himself, blew them aside. A kick of her feet and more launched from the floor. He pulled ice from the floor in front of them. Then pulled it up as a shield between him and her. More metal balls hit his left shoulder and then his right.

Her movements were too fast for him. Objects came at him from every direction. His ice shield shattered. Things smashed against his face, chest, and arms, as well as his back between his wings. He tried to take control of them. He tried to grab the earth and air in them. He shattered the flame globe in the room and drew the fire out, but she doused it with water.

Vines from the walls grabbed his shoulders, lifted him up and pulled him back, cracked his head against the wall. He used his wings and tried to pull together a funnel of air to throw at her. Something grabbed his ankle. The vines let go of his shoulders and whatever had his ankle threw him to the left into the adjacent wall.

He tried to pull himself to his feet. He had lost control of the air in the room. Once again, he extended his wings, but something hit him on the back of the head and he fell over again. Then something grabbed his ankle again and threw him across the room. He smashed face-first into the wall. Pain cascaded through his body as he fell backwards. Something grabbed him once more, flipped him over. He landed on his stomach.

More things—vines? His vision was too blurred to tell—wrapped around his arms and legs. They dragged him across the floor. They stopped when his face was at Chiansamorkin’s feet. A moment later, they pulled him up by the shoulders, raised him so he was at eye level with her.

She sniffled and looked him in the eyes. With his blurred vision, they looked more opaque. More like Fevionawishtensen’s. At least thoughts of her would be his last before he died.

“They say elementalists are a conjuror’s worst enemy. They’re wrong. But naïve elementalists like you believe them.” She smiled sadly. “They also say a conjuror is an elementalist’s greatest ally, and they’re right about that one. We could still be allies, Jorvanultumn.”

He shook his head. “Not after this.”

“We were supposed to be fomazee.”

“Not anymore.”

“But I love you, and I love Fevionawishtensen. I love you both so much.”

“You’re Pundritta.”

She barked another laugh and stepped back, arms outstretched. “I’m the fucking Pundhir! Just like Lamdhir, the youngest ever. Way to go me! Look at my great accomplishments! I’ve done so much while losing everyone I have ever loved. You. My diare. My…” She paused and wiped tears from her eyes. “My fomase.”

“You...you had a fomase?”

She looked away from him. “It doesn’t matter.” She bent over Sinitïa.

“Leave her alone.”

She glanced back at Jorvanultumn. “I would never hurt her.” She ran a hand through Sinitïa’s hair. “I would have made her the most powerful human wizard ever. Find her a brilliant teacher, one that will bring her to her true potential. Prophecy calls her the Light-Bringer. Help her fulfil her destiny.” She stood up and faced Jorvanultumn. “You have a place in prophecy too, you know, though I confess, I don’t understand yours. Supposedly, you completed yours over two thousand years ago.”

“What are you talking about?”

She smiled thinly. “I wish I had the time to tell you, and you were willing to listen.”

There were yells from outside.

“We made a lot of noise just now. Someone was bound to call the Hgirh. I love you, Jorvanultumn, but if you attempt to follow me, I will kill you. Tell Fevionawishtensen I love her and I’m sorry. I hope you find Meleng Drago. I really do. Goodbye.” She could barely get out the last word amidst sobs. She spread her wings and flew up through the open roof, amidst more yells.

The hpakrik vines holding Jorvanultumn let go and withered away. He rushed over to Sinitïa. A bruise was forming on her forehead, but she seemed otherwise fine. Then he rushed over to Hilkorultumn. He was alive, but in a much worse state. In addition to his torn wings, he had numerous puncture wounds over his body. He was unconscious and his breathing ragged.

Two Hgirh flew into the room. They said something, but Jorvanultumn could barely hear them. He looked up in the direction Chiansamorkin had flown off in, and wailed.