IRIS’ P.O.V.
The black fire slammed into me again.
It swallowed the ground, the air, everything, until I couldn’t tell where my body ended and the pain began. My skin blistered under the heat, my lungs screaming as smoke choked me from the inside.
But I didn’t fall.
My knees buckled, my arms shook, but I locked them in place, forcing silver light out of me in short, desperate bursts. They flickered and died almost as soon as they appeared, like sparks trying to survive a storm.
Illyra’s laughter slithered around me. “Good little puppet. Still dancing even with your strings cut.”
I coughed blood, wiping it with the back of my trembling hand. “Keep talking. Maybe one day you’ll actually say something worth listening to.”
Her smile sharpened. “Defiance. Always defiance. You know what d
