The lightning bolt hit the tree behind her.
Melisa had dodged on instinct, throwing herself sideways half a second before the bolt reached her chest. The tree exploded in a shower of splinters and bark, the crack of it splitting drowning out everything else.
[She's fast.]
Melisa rolled to her feet, already drawing a spellsign and muttering an incantation under her breath. A fire barrier snapped into existence between them just as Sylra launched a second bolt. The lightning struck the barrier, scattering into a web of sparks that lit up the clearing like daylight.
"Sylra, stop!"
Another bolt. This one came from a different angle, and Melisa had to abandon her barrier to dodge it. She felt the heat of it pass her shoulder, close enough to singe the fabric of her shirt.
[She's really not holding back.]
