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The nemak roared and flared its half-formed wings, sending a gust of burning hot air and throwing everyone to the ground.

“It’s going to be down to us,” she called over to Lidishta, panting a few paces away. Her face was splattered with blood, her swords slick with it. Even her braid seemed dyed red.

“Wonderful,” Lidishta drawled sarcastically, still catching her breath.

“While it’s distracted!” Iryana raced toward the nemak, staff forging at the ready.

The creature was still gobbling down the offerings when Iryana slammed her staff into the knee on its weak side. The joint buckled slightly, and the nemak hissed and turned its head.

Like a bird, it didn’t turn quickly, but it flared its wing, knocking Iryana back as the razor-sharp edges of the feathers cut grooves across her chest armor. With a cry of pain, Iryana crawled away, pulling herself to her feet.

Lidishta leaped through the air, catching the monster by surprise, and speared one sword into the nemak’s chest. She hung, held up by the sword slowly digging down through muscle and tissue, as she jabbed the other into the wing joint of the creature’s fully formed wing. It shrieked, jumping and shaking to dislodge the sword in its chest.

Lidishta rolled to avoid its claws, and Iryana grabbed her by the arm to pull her to her feet. She kept her gaze on the monster, pulling Lidishta farther away, staff extended. Black blood poured down the indigo feathers on the creature’s chest and from the corner of its wing.

Shouts came from the other end of the clearing as Pyetar tried to draw the nemak’s attention. The fanged bird barely spared him a glance before stretching out its wings, fire dancing across the feathers. It flapped its wings forward in one giant gust, sending fire barreling toward them.

Iryana barely managed to push out what remained of her shield in time, the fire parting around her as she cried out from the heat. Lidishta grunted at her side.

“This is bullshit,” Lidishta moaned, but she looked okay to Iryana’s eyes.

“It turns slow,” Iryana shot out quickly. “The heart is probably too hard to reach, but the head… the eyes, maybe.”

Lidishta nodded, laughing sarcastically, “Sounds easy.”

They threw themselves at the nemak again, flanking it as they struck again and again, barely dodging the creature’s attacks.

The fanged bird tried to fly, those massive wings flapping, but the smaller wing couldn’t keep up, sending the monster careening off to the side and crashing against the temple. A deep screech erupted from the creature’s throat as it tried to right itself.

Iryana dropped her water-forged staff to the ground, not risking letting the forging go, and summoned her bow. Her body was already struggling against the pull of magic, but she ignored it. Her fingers inched toward her quiver, but this wasn’t a fight where she could pull her punches. With a groan of pain, Iryana formed one of her arrow forgings, drawing it back to her cheek, and loosed.

She shot arrow after arrow, watching them arch through the sky and pierce deep into the nemak. Mezhimar joined her volley, sending wooden arrows that mostly slid off the creature or got stuck in its feathers. He was clearly aiming for the creature’s head, but it was thrashing too quickly for him to get a good shot in.

“Iryana! No!” she heard Pyetar crying out with worry as she formed her metal-forged arrows over and over.

Ignoring Pyetar, Iryana shot another arrow at the monster.

Despite the arrows stuck in its body, and dark blood pouring from the forged-arrow holes and the gash down its side, the nemak was not slowing. Iryana tried to come up with a plan, but before she could, the nemak, again upright, rushed for her and Lidishta. They dove to different sides, barely avoiding the fangs and claws of the monster.

She got to her feet immediately, jabbing her spear into any part of the monster she could reach, and then dancing back out of the way. She was quickly tiring, but the nemak was not.

Vabihn and Vaneshta darted out toward the creature’s legs, throwing everything they had at them, slowing it down and giving Iryana and Lidishta a moment to recover. One of those talons slashed Vabihn’s chest, but despite the blood leaking through his armor, he kept fighting like he hadn’t noticed.

Iryana took the opportunity to line up a shot, chest heaving as she pulled the arrow forging to her cheek, let out a slow breath, and released her fingers. The arrow cut through the air, stabbing right into the nemak’s good eye.

The monster hissed, shaking its head wildly, giving Vabihn and Vaneshta an opportunity to get away.

Pepha and Mezhimar ran at the creature with outstretched rope, sliding under the wings to wrap up the legs. Pyetar rushed to join them, pulling the rope hard. The nemak’s legs twisted, and it fell, landing on its malformed wing.

Not wasting the opportunity, Iryana threw herself onto the creature’s back, letting go of her water staff with a grunt and quickly forming her metal-forged dagger to drive it in enough for her to hold on. Lidishta raced for the monster’s head, using her swords to cut slashes into its face and neck.

The nemak knocked its head into Lidishta, sending her flying across the clearing, and thrashed its wings as it climbed back to its feet. It was steady, likely having broken the rope, and not seeming to realize that Iryana clung to it.

Iryana met Pyetar’s eyes as the others backed out of range of the nemak’s wings. His blue eyes dripped fear, and she watched his mouth form her name like a plea.

She was scared too, aching and in pain from her magic use, but they had a mission, and she couldn’t give up. With a roar, she formed her metal spear, the magic fighting desperately against her, but she forced it to take shape anyway and drove the three-pronged blades deep into the nemak’s upper back. They lodged well enough that Iryana used one hand on the spear to pull herself higher on the nemak, then pushed off it with her feet to throw herself onto the neck.

The nemak thrashed wildly, trying to take flight again, and Iryana held on with everything she had, using her dagger for purchase. Even the smaller feathers on its neck cut into her legs and chest.