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Her gloves smoking, Thorn stared as the bolt of lightning careened through the air. The light twisted like a knot, then cracked like a whip. Tiny worms of light scattered across the ground. From inside the bolt came faint furious screams that sent chills up Thorn’s arms.

Then, with a boomingCRA-ZACK, and a great bursting pressure in Thorn’s ears—as if the air had split apart like glass—the lightning bolt split into a thousand brilliant pieces and disappeared.

A girl with frizzy white hair that fell to her waist hung suspended in the air. She looked not much older than Thorn. Her skin was pale as the far moon. She wore a plain gray gown, the fabric singed at the edges.

The girl locked eyes with Thorn. They were the brightest, clearest blue eyes Thorn had ever seen, rimmed in thick white lashes.

Then the girl dropped to the stone with a heavy thump. She landed on her elbows and backside.“Ow,”she muttered, scowling.

“What in all the thundering skies?” Bartos, his swamp-drenched face streaked from tears, gaped at the girl. “How is this possible? Whatisit?”

Sniffling, the girl glared up at Bartos through a net of white hair. “I’m agirl, thank you very much.”

Thorn’s mind spun with questions. But then Noro let out a soft moan of pain, and an idea came to her.Be Brier,she thought. Brier would be ruthless and hard. Brier would not hesitate.

Thorn grabbed the long knife hanging from Bartos’s belt and lunged. The girl was too slow; when she tried to stand up, her knees wobbled and she fell right over. Thorn pounced on her. The girl let out a muted yelp. Thorn pinned her to the rock and pressed Bartos’s knife against her shimmering white throat. Holding the knife made Thorn’s wounded palm sting, but she ignored it.

“You hurt my friend Noro,” she told the lightning girl. Her voice shook with nerves. “If I let you go, can you help him? Can you fix whatever it was you did?”

The girl glared up at her. “If you let me go, thenmaybeI won’t knock you to the stars and back.”

Light rippled through the girl’s body. A sharp tingling feeling prickled Thorn’s skin, like the girl was fire and now Thorn was too.

The girl’s mouth twisted in pain. She coughed up sparks. Her pale face suddenly looked a bit green.

Thorn wanted to jump off the girl at once and help her, but Noro was hurt, he was wheezing just behind her, and if the girl didn’t help him, who would? And if shecouldn’thelp him...

Thorn refused to think about that.

“I don’t think you can knock me anywhere just now,” Thorn said quietly. “I think whatever you did hurt you. So if you want me to put my knife away, you’ll promise to help my friend.”

The girl’s face was stormier than the Westlin skies. Silver tears glimmered at her eyelashes.

“Well?” said Thorn.

“Fine,” the girl muttered. “I promise.”

“Youcanhelp him, can’t you?”

The girl’s gaze flicked to Noro. Thorn thought she saw a little ribbon of sadness move across her face before it disappeared.

“I think so,” the girl said.

Thorn held her breath. The wholeworldseemed to hold its breath, even the gurgling black swamp.

At last Thorn stood up and passed the knife back to Bartos. She’d gripped it so hard that her hurt palm throbbed.

The girl knelt beside Noro, examining him.

Bartos joined her, his eyes wide. “Who are you, girl? You were...lightning.”

“My name is Zaf,” said the girl. “And if you bring out any of those nasty metal killers, I won’t help your unicorn friend, no matter what I promised.”

Bartos stiffened. “I have no more eldisks, but rest assured, Zaf, if you try anything funny or boltish—”

Noro’s body seized. He made a horrible rattling sound deep in his throat. “If the girl really can help me, now would be an excellent time.”

Thorn’s heart ached so fiercely she could hardly breathe. Through a film of tears, she looked desperately at Zaf. Whatever brave things she had made herself feel while holding that awful knife were long gone.