Without a second glance at Seiren, the fat lizard crawled off, attracted by the screaming, fleeing humans. She ignored it in return, sketching several runes on any tiles or rocks that were flat enough and pocketing some. The weight pulled her cloak down one side. The Hannan dashed off again, using the demon as a distraction -- or more likely because he couldn't control it, as was the case of most summoners. Bringing one of these into the world didn't seem that big a feat. Controlling it to do their bidding seemed to be a lesson every demon summoner neglected during demon school.

Seiren gave chase. Her sprained ankles made her progress slow, but she kept a trained eye on the crooked man. The demon ambled to the right, towards chugging trains and terrified citizens.

He's going for that leaving train.

The Hannan leapt onto the moving train, now going too quickly for Seiren to catch up. He pulled himself up, shaking with ragged breaths. A flash of a triumphant grin on that scarred face incensed Seiren. She skidded to a halt.

Don't kill anyone by accident, Seiren.

Only his ass.

Seiren grimaced, sketching rapidly. A violet rune flashed at a click of her fingers, turning a narrow strip of ground ahead of her into frictionless goo. She leapt onto it, firing a red rune behind her to propel herself along, all the while sketching more violet runes on her tiles, dropping and activating a few to continue her path. She whizzed along like a rocket, her peripheries turning into a blur. All she could see was the rapidly-approaching front of the train on her left as she caught up.

We should be looking after the people, going after the demon.

That's the state mage's job, not mine, thought Seiren, aiming her next throw. The two tiles skimmed the steel tracks. She snapped her fingers. The violet runes expanded, the glow spreading several metres along the track. When the train's wheels made contact, a stomach-churning grating noise filled the air, making Seiren grit her teeth. The train ground to a halt by the end of its run along the tracks, the red runes that power its movements fading.

Curious heads poked out of the windows, wondering why their journey was suddenly halted. The train master's head popped out of the front window, his cheeks red with fury.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, young lady?"

Seiren ignored him, darting to the cart where she'd last seen the Hannan. Sure enough, the spindly freak leapt out, his face pale. He threw a fistful of dust at her. Seiren covered her face with her cloak; she'd heard about the irritating properties of summoner's dust, which was why Hannans' skins were so leathery and scarred.

He's calling his demon!

Seiren fingered her runes. She peeped through the slit in her cloak. To her surprise, the fat lizard the Hannan had conjured ambled back to him at his beckoning, swallowing, live, two citizens it had caught. Their muffled screams emanated from its throat and then its chest. Its slit-pupiled eyes focused on Seiren for a second time. She braced herself, letting go of her cloak. The lizard studied her with intelligent eyes, tilting its head on an axis – and then struck.

She leapt back, barely anticipating its attack. Its mouth hit the ground, sending dust flying and cracking the stone ground. Lifting its head back, it slammed a thick front leg forward, forked tongue flicking out continuously. Its tail quivered. A few stray scales flaked off its head.

My god, its mouth is massive.

You think the summoner is compensating for something?

Now's not a good time to make flippant jokes, Seiren.

Sorry, mother.

Seiren's chest tightened a little at the word. The first demon had gone down quick enough despite its apparent leathery thick skin, but she had the alleyway to contain the fire and limit the damage. There were no nearby walls to do that at the train station. She continued to step back, the heel of her boots tapping on the smooth paved ground. She never broke gaze with the lizard; with the reaction it had just now, she wasn't sure she would survive one glance away. Out of the corner of her eye, the Hannan stood there, weaving his dust. As long as the thing remained under his control, he couldn't leave. That was a silver lining at least.

She ran a thumb over the few runes she had left. Two reds and two oranges. If she had enough of a distraction, she could perhaps incapacitate the demon and just go for the guy.

You can wait till the lizard attacks and—

Seiren took a running leap. The reptile's black eyes focused on her. Its head tilted ever so slightly before snapping. Everything happened almost in slow motion. The inside of its mouth was pink, fleshy. It had no teeth; no doubt the clamping power of its jaws more than compensated for that. Its forked tongue sat on the bottom, narrow like a strip of ribbon. Its throat was an endless black abyss, one Seiren was not keen to explore.

Its body slammed against hers. She tucked her feet below its jaw and propped her arms on its nose. It opened and shut its mouth furiously, trying to get a bite on her. Its breath was foul. She slipped the two orange tiles into its mouth before her arm could be clamped off. It tossed its head left and right, flinging Seiren off. Her hands slid across its smooth body, losing grip, and she went soaring in the air.

She snapped her fingers as the world spun beneath her.

Orange flames burst from the lizard's mouth. It screeched in agony. Seiren hit the wall of the public bathroom and landed with a thump, the air knocked out of her lungs. Small clinks reached her ears when she rolled, groaning, telling her the two remaining runed tiles had broken. She cursed under her breath – each painful breath. Maybe a few ribs were cracked. What stupid timing.

I don't know which is stupider, Seiren.

It worked though. The reptile was no longer under the Hannan's control. The pain seemed to have overridden any control he had. It flailed about, its tail lashing wildly. Flames and smoke puffed from its lips. Its eyes rolled. The Hannan stepped back, his face pale. His hood fell off, revealing sunken cheeks and the stereotypical pockmarked face of a Hannan. He had protruding teeth reminding Seiren of a rat and huge eyes that darted left and right, seeking a place to escape.

Seiren pushed herself up, ignoring the shooting pains around her ribcage. With quick fingers, she drew a consecutive series of runes that turned violet on flat chunks of rubble. Her shoulders heaving, she picked those up and ran at the lizard. It screeched, felling buildings and trees in its agonised wake. It was already leaving a trail of injured unfortunates in its path. Seiren threw those tiles, snapping her fingers when they hit the ground. The violet spread around the lizard's feet. The ground's properties changed, becoming viscous and sticky. The weight of the demon forced its clawed toes to sink. It screamed, tail lashing. It hurled itself forward, but its limbs were firmly merged with the ground.

Breathless, Seiren turned to the Hannan, expecting him to run.

Watch out!

A fist flew at her. Seiren, hearing Madeleine's shout a split second earlier, flinched back. The punch grazed her chin, enough to knock her head back. His other hand flashed out, probably to grab her by the neck. His nails scraped by her collarbone, the fingers catching on the string of her pendant. There was a snap. Seiren tumbled to the ground, dazed.

The world stopped spinning. Her heart skipped a beat. The reassuring weight of Madeleine's pendant was gone – as was her voice. Seiren's eyes darted across the ground in a panic. No, she wasn't there. The flash of scarlet caught her eye. The pendant swung from the Hannan's hand at his side, the strings snapped. He still held a combative pose, eyes locked on her. Seiren struggled to keep a steady breath. He wasn't aware of what was in his hand – her sister's single tether to this world, the only thing preventing her from disappearing into the great beyond. When the sunlight caught the jewel, Seiren could almost see the blood rune she'd drawn, all those years ago, just beneath its surface.

It was all she could do to not throw herself onto the Hannan and beat the living hell out of him for daring to touch her sister. Nausea swirled like a maelstrom in her stomach. Pins and needles coursed up and down her arms. Her insides knotted, her brain numbed. Without the calming tone of Madeleine, Seiren had never felt so isolated.

The Hannan launched at her, Madeleine's pendant still swinging in his hand. Seiren barely kept out of his reach, just able to read his intentions without Madeleine's guide. He swung with an unstructured wildness, seeming only to flail enough at her to land a hit, any hit. Seiren picked up a piece of chalk and the last shard of flat tile from her inner pocket, scribbling a coarse rune and activating it without a second check.

It flashed yellow before exploding into a blinding ray of light. She shut her eyes in time. The Hannan screeched, stumbling backwards. Seiren opened her eyes in time to see Madeleine's pendant fall. She dived at it. The red gem glittered as it plunged – just into Seiren's cupped hands. She sighed with relief.

Seiren! Madeleine's dear, familiar voice came into her head again. Her presence was like a cocoon of plush safety, soothing Seiren's fried nerves, which soon turned into fury. What happened?

The piece of hell excrement stole you from me.

What are you doing—?

Seiren knelt down and deftly drew rune after rune, activating them after each completion. The Hannan howled, covering his eyes and trying to find a path on the cracked ground. Seiren threw the first three runes at him. They glowed scarlet, expanding their designs before igniting with energy into three consecutive explosions. Magic drained out of her like the gush of water from a tap, but she paid it no heed, her hands moving with determined fluidity.

His screams intensified. Burns covered his skin, bubbling away into pink flesh. Blisters blossomed around the wounds. One of his eyelids peeled away, showing a gruesome, rolling eyeball with a pinpoint pupil.

Seiren rushed at him, trailing the chalk behind her and completing the rune at the man's feet. Avoiding his wild limbs, she managed a simple sketch. Simple, but effective enough. A snap of a finger covered his feet in flames. His cloak caught fire, his skin following soon after. The air was filled with the scent of burnt flesh once more, accompanied by agonised shrieks.

Stop this! You'll kill him!

Ignoring Madeleine's voice, Seiren cast another volley of red-runed tiles at him. They exploded into shards, embedding into his legs. His voice reached a crescendo. He collapsed onto the ground, writhing, one hand held to his bubbling face, the other to his shredded legs. She felt not a single drop of sympathy for the dying man. Each time he took a ragged breath to make another scream, Seiren inhaled with satisfaction, feeling the flow of triumph relieving the aching exhaustion and her dwindling magic reserve.

You're not a killer, Seiren. He's not even our target. Stop this, right now. This isn't you.

A final rune. She added in extra designs, maximising the release of energy. A tidy circle, ensuring no mistakes. The ground beneath the Hannan glowed red. Seiren pressed her middle finger and thumb together.

A crack came from behind her. Seiren whipped around, distracted. Another enemy?

A rumble shook underground. Before her wide eyes, the rune she'd carefully crafted shook – and shattered.

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