A scream tore from her throat, the sound clawing a path that left her trachea aching for relief, but Mia couldn’t stop the cries from ringing into the air. The heat crescendoed until it enveloped her entire body, making her boil. The skin of her hand was sizzling, but when she looked at it, not a single flame could be seen. The fire, raging from the ring, licked an invisible blaze that taunted her with its ghostly pain. Its path was only visible by the creeping angry red hue up her arm, but Mia felt it encompassed her. Her every feeling, her every thought, her every focus, was agony. There was no relief from the faceless attack, and she curled onto the floor, pressing her hand into the ground praying the cool soil would calm the flames but something held her back.
“No, Mia! Don’t get dir
