The glaive exploded into a shower of molten fragments that fell amongst the contenders like white-hot fireflies, but the Demon fell back, screaming in pain and rage. Yelling like a man possessed, Anest came charging through the melée, his sword glowing with blue fire. Sensing its danger too late the Demon turned to meet his attack. Anest ducked under its defenses, and thrust his sword deep into the Demon's vitals where it stuck, half-melted. With a terrible cry the shadow
writhed like a worm on a hook, trying to pull the deadly thing from its chest. Falling to its knees, it tried reaching for Lily once more, to drag her down with it into the darkness. But Anest pulled her out of the Demon's reach, and as it died, it appeared to fall into the very earth, though it left no hole or trace that it had ever been there. Only what was left of Anest's sword remained; a glowing, twisted ribbon of ruined metal with the heat going out of it like some dying thing.
The ravens were gone. The last of the gnomes and goblins wailed and fled, having no will of their own to guide them. Dead too was the Warlock, its smoking corpse burned beyond recognition. Belloc stood over it, leaning on his staff for support, his face lined with exhaustion.