*Saoirse*

I grasped the dragon staff with both hands, my knuckles whitening as I funneled every ounce of my being into its ancient wood. The air crackled around me, the very atmosphere alive with anticipation and fear.

"Focus, Saoirse," I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible over the roar of power that surrounded me and the battle raging beyond that. It wasn't just the magic. It was the terror too, a creeping dread that slithered up my spine.

The staff ...