Nyxi's Arc

Chapter 6 of 8

Rylo's fire still warmed the snow when Plymaz walked ahead and planted his book in the ice. A tall blue tower pushed up from the ground, its clock-face windows spinning backward. "A place to work," he said. "Time bends here." Nyxi felt the air thin. The realm noticed. She set her circle in front of the tower. Black starmetal bowls bloomed at each point, green flame licking inside them. The ice glowed under her boots. "Stand close," she said. "I open the night from here." Lyr lifted her chin. The sky above the circle cracked with low light. "Something moves under us," she said. Umi tilted her head, calm as glass. "Yes. Plymaz pulled it up with his clever little clock. Guilt is very bad for the complexion, Plymaz. Try not to start." The ice split. A pale thing climbed out, ribs showing through frozen skin, red veins running down its long arms. It opened a mouth full of teeth and screamed at the brazier flames. The circle was not finished. Nyxi's hands were still wet with the work. Rylo stepped in front of her, axe raised. Lyr's bolt struck first, pinning the creature's shoulder to the ice. Umi did not move. "Finish your circle," she told Nyxi. "We will hold the door." Plymaz closed his book. The tower's clock stopped. The creature slowed, one claw frozen mid-swing, and Rylo drove the axe through its skull. The body fell. The circle stayed unfinished, one bowl tipped, green flame guttering in the snow. Nyxi knelt and pressed her palm to the broken edge. The night she wanted was still far. But her circle had held its first attack, and the realm now knew her name.