"Stop him!" Aelion shouted.
An air-bender immediately thrust both hands forward.
A compressed current of wind shot toward the guard, intending to snuff out the flame before it could be born. The Terravain guard tightened his grip around the carved fire rune. Its crimson inscriptions began to glow. Heat shimmered around his fingers.
"You'll all die if you light it!" Aveline cried.
Her voice echoed through the underground chamber.
"The fire won't stop with the cotton! It'll spread to the streets above! To the shops! To the homes!"
"The people you're trying to protect will burn with it!"
Before she could take another step, an invisible arm wrapped firmly around her waist.
Theron.
He pulled her backward in one swift motion, shielding her with his own body, though no one else could see him.
He had already judged the distance.
If that rune ignited... The explosion of flame would consume everyone nearby.
She struggled instinctively.
"No—"
Theron refused to release her.
