"Win?"

Nostrand raised his chin, looking down at me despite his lower position on the staircase.

"Victory belongs to me—victory and your life. Fractus."

No!

I gripped my cane with both hands, desperate to hold it together. A weapon shattered but not my own.

Nostrand's sword exploded in a hail of stone. I turned sideways and looked away as the jagged rocks pelted the left side of my body.

"Forma."

I squinted through the flying rubble. The rocks bombarding me froze in mid-air, reassembling into a sword as Nostrand charged up the stairs to run me through.

I'm dead.

Castille's icy war hammer flew in front of me, deflecting the stone tip to the left before it found my flesh.

Thank you, Isla!

I swung my cane down on Nostrand's leading hand.

CRACK!

His stone sword clattered on the steps. I followed up with a blow to his left eye. The black lacquered wood bounced off the faceted surface.

Nostrand grabbed my wrist.

"Fly for me."

With unnatural strength, he yanked me forward.

Not again!

I rolled over the hard steps, letting my left shoulder take the brunt of the fall. It exploded in pain. My stomach churned from a new wave of nausea. I clenched my abs, reigniting the stabbing sensation in my stomach. I shut my eyes, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

"It's time to end this game."

Nostrand's footfalls clacked up the stairs.

He's going after Isla.

My eyes snapped open. I blinked, refocusing them.

I needed to back her up.

I rolled onto my stomach and pulled myself to my feet.

The sound of grinding stone above gave me pause.

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I looked up at the giant rocky hand about to fall on my head. I jumped to my left seconds before it slapped down on the stairs. Part of the hand crumbled, creating a cloud of dust that made my eyes itch.

I couldn't forget about Finnick. For my plan to work, I needed to use Nostrand as a shield. Stone scraped against stone. I turned as the hand emerged from the cloud of dust to swat me down to the first-floor terrace.

My body landed with the thud. The jolt knocked the cane out of my hand. I gasped and then coughed from sucking in a mouthful of toxic dirt. I rolled onto my hands and knees, groping blindly for my cane. I grabbed it, staggered to my feet, and everything became clear.

Each speck of dust was visible in the air. Finnick, his head now looming over the terrace, raised his right fist to crush me.

I glanced over my shoulder.

Nostrand was marching up the steps to Isla and Thor. Castille had freed Dugan from the boulder. And far across the field, Reed crouched in an alleyway, hiding from view.

I could see everything, including my cane, laying a few feet away from me on the floor.

If that was there…

I lifted the object in my right hand.

It was the end of Nostrand's staff about the length of my forearm.

It was warm.

Enchanted gold.

Even broken, the enchantment on the staff still worked. It heightened my senses and gave me focus. Perfect focus. I cycled through my senses, trying them on like clothes. The bitter taste of dirt lingered on my tongue. The metallic scent of my blood mingled with the earthy aromas around me. My sense of touch was the worst. Cooling blood plastered my shirt against my skin, and over the ache of my bruises, I felt the gust of wind from Finnick's first barreling down on my head.

BOOM!

I rolled to my right, scooping my cane in my left hand and stopping in a crouch. I waited for the world to keep rolling and kept waiting. There was no dizziness. The nausea remained, but it was muted.

I had more important things to focus on.

Isla.

I turned on the balls of my feet and darted back up the stairs, dodging Finnick's grasping hand.

Above me, Isla was holding Nostrand back with an armoury of floating ice weapons. Thor stayed close by her side as a last line of defence.

Isla's eyes flashed with worry and fatigue. She couldn't keep it up.

Hold on. I'm coming.

My focus shifted to a slight tremor under my feet.

I dodged the first stone spike that shot from the steps and then the second and the third.

I conjured another explosive at the end of the broken staff. I spun around and shot the coin-sized orb at Finnick's face.

He covered his face with his left arm, leaving a small crater in his wrist that regenerated before my eyes.

Of course, he protected his face.

Finnick was still Finnick. Always more clever than you expected.

So be it. I would use my attack as a distraction to get to Isla.

I turned back to the stairs, and my eyes went wide.

Nostrand was holding Isla by her neck, her feet dangling in the air. Thor was gnawing on Nostrand's ankle to little effect. With one hand, Isla struggled against his grip. With the other, she fumbled in the folds of her cloak. Nostrand's stone sword had snapped in two during their duel. He pulled back his left hand and aimed the jagged tip at her gut.

"NO!"

Nostrand looked down at me and smiled.

"This girl has proven tiresome. Once I remove her, you're next."

The corners of my mouth tugged into a smile.

"She's not so easily removed."

The soft metal of Nostrand's face creased into a frown. He turned back at Isla as she crammed Elmer's hand bomb into his mouth. I pointed the broken staff between Nostrand and Isla and shot a sliver of fire, lighting the bomb's fuse.

Before Nostrand could react, Castille dropped from the stairs above with Dugan's axe raised high. She landed with a downward swing that cleaved through Nostrand's right forearm, freeing Isla.

She fell right onto Thor's back.

"RUN!"

Castille and Thor made a break for the other side of the wide staircase. Nostrand dropped his sword, reaching for the lit bomb caught in his mouth.

He wasn't fast enough.

BOOOOM!!!

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