The monster's eyes lifted slowly toward them, and the hatred inside those blazing orbs became clear and focused.
Its gaze locked onto Myles. He stood closest to it, the one who had cut its flesh, reopened its frost wound, and forced it into this unstable overcharge.
The heat shifted subtly, no longer spreading in all directions but concentrating forward like a furnace door opening toward a single target.
Myles felt it immediately. The pressure increased. The air in front of him thickened and burned. The scorching force aimed straight at his body as if the creature wanted to melt him first before anything else.
He did not step back. His jaw tightened until his teeth ground together. Instead of retreating, he walked forward.
Victor moved at his right. George stepped at his left. The three of them advanced together. Their feet landed on heated ground that glowed faint red beneath their soles.
