The Goliath-Hound didn't just run; it erupted forward. The sand beneath its massive paws turned to black glass from the intense heat of the blue lightning crackling across its matted fur. It closed the distance to Elara in three terrifying bounds, its jaws unhinging to reveal rows of jagged, venom-dripping teeth.
Up in the stands, the collective breath of the High Council hitched.
Elara didn't flinch. As the beast lunged, a massive paw swiping down to crush her, she dropped to her knees and slid across the runic sand. The electrified claws missed her face by an inch, the sheer force of the wind tearing a silver braid loose from her hair.
She spun on her heel, driving her left dagger deep into the Hound's hind leg.
The beast roared, a deafening sound that shook the stone foundations of
