A deafening slash tore through the air, aimed straight for Fiona.
She had been kneeling, dazed, broken—but at that moment, Steve's voice cracked through the chaos, shouting her name in raw desperation.
"FIONA!"
Her head jerked slightly, and that was when she saw it—really saw it. The problem.
The axe.
It wasn't in the hobgoblin's hands. Not yet. It was on his back, slung diagonally, swaying with his movement like a beast itching to be unleashed. Her heart jumped.
The moment the massive creature reached back, gripping the axe, time seemed to blur. The weapon came free with a savage rip, and the goblin launched a brutal, sweeping slash forward—right at her.
In that instant, everything slowed.
It felt like he had already cut her. Like time had skipped, and she had been split in two. But instead—SLAM!
Steve tackled her.
