A barrier snapped into place just as the first blade struck. The impact reverberated through her arms, nearly knocking her off balance. She slid back a step, boots skidding dangerously close to the edge.
No retreat. Not here.
She shifted her stance and slammed her staff again.
"Glacies ascendere!"
Ice surged up the stairwell, coating steps and banisters alike.
The guards faltered as footing vanished beneath them. One slipped, crashing into another, shields colliding with a sharp clang.
Luna seized the opening, hurling a concentrated bolt of frost that froze two of them together mid-fall.
The captain leapt.
He cleared the ice in a single bound, blade coming down in a brutal overhead strike. Luna twisted aside, the sword biting into the stair where her head had been. Stone exploded. She retaliated instantly, shadows snapping up to bind his legs.
He tore free with sheer force.
Their fight became a brutal exchange in close quarters.
