Page 54 of Poison Sun

He scratches the back of his neck, a sheepish grin replacing his momentary confidence. “Good point,” he says. “I was thinking about the light part, but yeah, you’re probably right.”

There’s a pause, and the Kobold’s chuckle cuts through the silence, reminding us of the ticking clock.

My mind races, trying to think outside the box—or outside the lighthouse, in this case.

“Maybe it’s something bigger, like... clouds?” I guess.

“Clouds?” Blaze raises an eyebrow, his skepticism obvious. “Clouds move all over the place. They’re not exactly known for staying still.”

“Right.” I shrug, silently chastising myself for the wild—and admittedly terrible—guess. “I told you I’m bad at this.”

“We’ve got this,” he says, and while he’s trying to sound encouraging, I can totally hear his doubt coming through. “We just have to think.”

The Kobold’s laughter grows louder. “Two minutes,” he says, and my heart races at the realization of how quickly time is slipping away.

Blaze closes his eyes, as if he can block out the Kobold’s presence by centering himself.

When he opens them again, there’s a new clarity. A focus that wasn’t there before.

“What?” I lean forward, bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet, praying he’s figured this out.

“A tree,” he says. “It has to be a tree. They stand tall, they touch the sky, they’re always there, and their shadows move with the moon.”

“It makes sense,” I say slowly.

“Thirty seconds,” the Kobold says, his voice booming through the forest.

I face him and steady myself, praying Blaze’s answer is correct.

“A tree,” I say quickly. “Our answer is a tree.”

The second the words are out of my mouth, I hold my breath, waiting for the verdict.

The monster regards us for a long, tense moment.

Then, slowly, he shakes its head. “No,” he says, and the word falls between us like a stone. “The answer is not a tree. It’s a mountain. Always watching, never moving, touching the sky by day, and casting long shadows by night.”

Wrong.

We were wrong.

My heart pounds against my ribcage. Not just from fear, but also from a surge of adrenaline.

What’s going to happen now?

The Kobold chuckles, a sound that echoes through the forest and bounces off the trees—which do not touch the sky—and eventually settles heavily in my stomach. “So brave, yet so unprepared,” he taunts, and he steps forward, the ground shaking with his movement.

Summoning my magic, I welcome the warmth dancing at my fingertips. It’s a comforting sensation. One that reminds me I’m not defenseless.

Beside me, Blaze does the same.

And then, with a single glance, we brace ourselves for attack.

Morgan

My fire’s burning bright within me, ready to come out and give the Kobold a scorching of the century.

“Wait!” he booms, raising a giant hand for us to stop. “There is another way.”

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