Adventure of Sorsha 1

The green fire in Sorsha’s hand surges brighter, then bites back. Her veins glow beneath the skin like trapped marshlight, and the rune circle shivers in answer.

At the center of the black water, the barrier ripples hard. The Bound Presence slams against it from the other side, and the shrine fills with a hiss of layered whispers.

The Bog Witch throws both hands over the nearest rune and drives her chant faster, eyes wild with effort. The circle steadies for a heartbeat, and the pressure on Sorsha’s palm lessens by a fraction.

Then the dark water at the shrine’s heart bulges upward again, as if something beneath it has found a new seam to pry apart.

Sorsha plants her boots deeper in the mud and drives her will through the rune circle. The green fire answers at once, surging cleanly through the lines instead of clawing back at her.

The black water at the center flattens with a wet shudder. The bulge sinks, and the seal’s surface tightens like drawn cord.

The Bog Witch’s chant catches, then steadies. She lowers one shaking hand by a fraction, watching the circle hold under Sorsha’s pressure.

Heat bites through Sorsha’s smoking hand, but the pain feeds into the spell instead of breaking it. The runes burn brighter, crisp and even.