The flames crackled and roared, casting flickering shadows across the clearing.
The fire that had been intended to trap Aziz had now turned against Crow, hemming him in. His footsteps faltered as he retreated, the oppressive heat forcing him to shield his face with one soot-streaked arm.
The blackness in his eyes had begun to fade—no one's internal energy could last forever—and Crow was no exception.
Above, the once-thick flock of ravens scattered, their numbers thinning as they fled the blazing inferno.
"You have no reason to help him, Nessa!" Crow bellowed, his voice raw with fury and desperation.
His eyes darted between the three closing in on him: Aziz, Mal, and Nessa.
"He is a demon! He has mutilated my men, slaughtered them like animals! I cannot let him go!"
