AVIONA'S POV
I scrambled up the tree, ignoring the bark that tore at my hands. I didn’t stop until I was high enough—out of reach, I hoped. I just prayed they couldn’t climb.
From my perch, I had a clear view of Renli.
She stood at the center of the clearing, ringed by monsters of stone. At least half a dozen of them lumbered closer, their eyes glowing like smoldering coals. The air around her crackled with magic, dust twisting into furious spirals.
Renli lifted the lasso—now a gleaming golden spear—and spun it once overhead before hurling it at the golems.
The weapon flew true, piercing the chest of the nearest creature. But it didn’t stop. It whistled through the air, curving mid-flight as if guided by will. It tore through a second golem, then a third, carving molten holes in their
