I reacted on instinct — grabbing Anika and spinning her behind me just as a torrent of water erupted from the floor. It slammed into my barrier of wind, exploding into mist around us. The force still threw us back a few feet, boots scraping against the slick stone.
“See?” I shouted over the wind. “This is what happens when you sass ancient monsters!”
Anika’s laugh rang through the chaos. “What, are you jealous she noticed me?”
“Oh for the love of—” I growled, slicing through another wave of water with a gust sharp enough to cut steel.
But she was grinning now, hair plastered to her face, eyes glowing faintly. She wasn’t afraid. In fact, it looked like she enjoyed this.
Echidna lunged again, her massive tail slamming down toward us. Anika moved before I could, raising her hands — the
