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“Sure feels like one to me,” Agnar shouts as he tosses boulders at our enemy.

“They’re trying to herd us.”

My friend lobs another builder, this time tripping a giant. “Why?”

“I don’t know why, but I do know where.”

“Where?” Lark’s breathless as she scans the area. Her gaze lands on Rose, still shrouded by her flame familiar, then on Kaida. The dragon lands beside the child, tucking his wings in to stand guard over her.

Seemingly satisfied that Agnar’s niece is safe, Lark focuses her attention on me.

“To Valk’s war shrine.” She takes a beat to track where I’m pointing.

“Sure.” Agnar erects a wall of earth around an advancing warrior. “Makes sense. ‘Please visit our temple’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘Visit or die.’”

Lark and I simultaneously topple another statue with dual jets of water and flame while Rose claps her hands and giggles over my buddy’s lame joke. Kaida chuffs, as if amused by the tiny human’s antics.

Lark groans and gestures for us to regroup as a triangle with our backs together. “You two are insane.”

Agnar and I trade a glance over her head.

“Possibly.” Agnar shrugs, as if his sanity or lack thereof doesn’t faze him in the slightest. “Ready to merge? We’ll do more damage together.”

Lark presses her mouth close to my ear. “Can you?”

My fists clench. I hate that she feels the need to give me an out…just in case I don’t have my shit together yet. “Absolutely. Take the lead, Dragoncaller.”

Though she grins at the title, worry clouds her hazel eyes. “Then let’s do this.”

Battling rising doubt, I pulse my magic until it touches theirs. Our three-way connection energizes me, and the heady sensation swoops into my very core.

Earth, fire, and water meld together as one.

A whirlwind of red magma and molten mud immediately circle us.

Lark steps forward.

“Hit ’em hard!” Agnar points at a cluster of stone warriors, but his eyes dart to where Rose huddles next to Kaida.

Lark doesn’t answer. Not with words. Instead, the boiling substance surges ahead.

Shit.

We’ve practiced this maneuver, but never under pressure.

The fiery mud launches at the first giant, encasing and cementing the fucker to the ground.

Disappointment rips at me, followed by worry.

That’s her fire, and Agnar’s earth, but no water. What the hells is going on with my abilities?

As their magical compound races past the first captured enemy, a stream of water washes over it. Both mud and stone crack and disintegrate, leaving nothing but dust behind.

I expel a relieved breath while watching the fog roll out and the stone giants crumble.

The seconds dragging by turn to minutes as I struggle to control my magic enough to keep feeding the element to Lark.

Then it’s released, and I can finally breathe again. Agnar looks like he’s going to pass out, but he doesn’t. He sits in the middle of the courtyard, shaking his head as well as the dust off his clothes. “Temple sucks, in case you were wondering.”