"You guys go first. Follow the stone path and don't stop," Dustin commanded in a low voice.

Realizing that defense was no longer an option, he withdrew the disk of light and charged forward instead of retreating. His body shot ahead like a flash of cyan light toward the storm of light beams.

His longsword sang as it left the sheath, a sharp, resonant note that cut through the roar. With a flick of his wrist, a torrent of sword light burst forth, forming a rippling cyan barrier in front of him.

The beams struck the barrier in a deafening rhythm of metal and thunder, each impact exploding in blinding flashes.

Most of the attacks shattered against the barrier, but a few slipped through. They slammed into the lake behind him, sending up columns of crimson water and cracking a section of the stone path underfoot.

Rhydian and the others watched with their hearts in their throats, but none dared slow down. Bracing himself against the trembling ground, he shielded Grace, Judith, and Cypri