The gorge reeked of steam and scorched stone. Smoke curled from Kael’s skin, his body trembling under the weight of power too vast for mortal bones. Every muscle screamed, every scar glowed, and still the storm begged to be unleashed.
Solas rose from the rubble with a predator’s calm. His cloak hung in tatters, his face cut by a shallow gash where lightning had finally reached him. But his eyes burned colder than ever. The frost spread from his boots again, veins of ice sealing the cracks Kael’s power had torn through the gorge.
“You’re stronger than I expected,” Solas said, flexing his fingers until a new blade of frozen light formed in his hand. “But storms burn out. Ice remains.”
Kael forced himself to his feet, legs unsteady but defiant. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried.
“Then
