Rowan lifted his hand and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”

Then, before Rowan knew what was happening, Lucas blurred into a flash so bright he couldn’t see, but Rowan squinted just in time to see a jagged bolt coming toward him. Rowan jumped and tumbled across the ground, rolling through grass and dirt. The bolt of lightning hissed past his cheek. 

I didn’t even see him move.

Another flash! This time from the left. Lucas streaked across the stone circle, sparks trailing from his boots as a whip of lightning cracked outward.

Rowan pushed his hand forward, but Lucas was already gone, darting like a bolt of light.

“He’s fast,” Rowan admitted, concern filled his voice. “Really fast.”

Lucas skidded to a halt. Lightning burst from him in branching cracks.

Rowan kept moving. The wind carried him. Leaping, sliding, twisting, never still, long enough to be pinned. But Lucas pressed harder, strike after strike, each one like a crashing wave.

A crackling bolt hurled straight for Rowan’s chest. He dropped to the ground as the bolt whizzed past, smashing into a standing stone.

BOOM!

The stone exploded into fragments.

Lucas walked sideways, lightning crawling over his arms, while keeping his eyes locked on Rowan. “You’ve got speed,” he shouted. “But can you strike back?”

Rowan’s heart pounded in his chest as he sprang up. He stomped once, and the wind roared beneath him. In an instant, he was airborne. The world spun below, including the circle of stones like towering giants.

Rowan focused his eyes, pulled back his hand, then thrust it forward—

WHOOOM!

The gust tore downward, flattening the grass in a rolling shockwave. Dust spiraled into the sky, and the ring of standing stones shuddered. Lucas darted to the side and landed in a crouch, calm and confident, as if the whole hilltop was his arena.

“You’ve got some spark after all,” Lucas said with a fierce grin. “Let’s see how long it lasts.”

Both his hands shot out.

Lightning roared to life. Jagged arcs raced across the ground, weaving into a crackling net. Sparks hissed through the grass, carving glowing lines around Rowan like a cage of fire. 

Then, Rowan realized something. Lucas wasn’t just fast. He wasn’t guessing. Every strike, every step, every spark landed like he planned it. He fought like a storm that learned to aim. While Rowan moved on instinct. Sometimes the wind lifted him into a leap or spun him safely away. Other times it shoved too hard, tilting him off balance.

“I need more control,” he muttered. He ducked behind a leaning stone and looked down at his hand. “Come on… work with me!”

The answer came in fire. Lightning slammed into the stone, blasting it apart in a spray of white sparks. Heat that stung kissed Rowan’s cheek. He didn’t hesitate; he ran left. Wind coiled around his legs, shoving him into a wide arc. Grass whipped at his knees as he leaned into the gust, letting it carry him forward.

And then, the ground just vanished.

The line of stones ended in a sheer drop. Beyond stretched a ravine, black and bottomless. Far below, a river thundered, its roar echoing like the beat of a giant drum.

There was only one way across. A narrow bridge stretched over the gorge, its mossy stones sagging in the middle like a bow pulled too far. The rails were chipped and crumbling, half-swallowed by time. It was the kind of bridge you wouldn’t trust, unless you had no other choice.

Rowan sprinted hard, sparks snapping through the grass at his heels. He hit the bridge first, boots thudding against the worn stone. A fierce updraft roared from the gorge below, whipping his cloak like a banner as he charged for the far side.

He looked over his shoulder—

Lucas was right behind him, already running into the middle of the bridge.

“Let’s see you dodge this!” Lucas shouted. Both hands rose, light swelling between them, like a sun about to burst.

CRACK. 

White fire roared across the sky and slammed into the center of the bridge.

Rowan saw nothing but light. His ears rang. The world vanished into the roar of stone breaking.

A jagged crack tore across the bridge, glowing like lightning trapped in stone. Dust spiraled upward. One of the arches shook with a deep, terrible rumble.

Lucas blinked, as if only now realizing it. “I… I meant to miss it.”

The bridge wobbled as stone crashed away into the river below. Lucas held on to the railing, which suddenly snapped.

“Lucas!” Rowan’s voice cracked through the storm as his rival tumbled into the gorge.