Time seemed to slow for a split second around Elayra before the water smacked into her. Its chill flooded over her, plunging her into wet, airless darkness. Directions became a relative concept. Warmth radiated through the water, heated by the rock monster’s fiery core.
	The beast’s howls and struggles vibrated through the rushing stream along with a slew of fuming bubbles. The vine tongue tugged at Elayra, loosening and tightening with the monster’s futile attempts to return to dry land. Yet still, it refused to give up its hold on the girl.
	The stream’s floor bumped into her side. With the revelation of what was up and what was down, Elayra ground her teeth and pulled her feet under her. She tried to stand, but the beast’s tongue pulled taught, tethering her under.
	Panic and fear flared inside her, sapping what bit of oxygen she still had in her lungs. She forced her eyes open.
	Mere inches separated her from air. Sunlight streamed through the undulating surface, creating wavering patches of dirt-speckled light. The murky water did little to help her blurred vision. But no more than a yard from her, she could make out the glowing core of the rock beast. Its fiery light flickered and shifted as the water forced off its natural armor, eating away at the dirt keeping its rocks packed together. The rocks and stones protecting its vulnerable center.
	Her lungs began to burn, screaming for a fresh breath. She couldn’t wait for the beast to die and release her.
	She reached for the dark line of the beast’s tongue, the resistance of the water slowing her down. As if in response, the monster pulled her forward and down to her knees. Squinting to help shield her eyes from the bits of debris rushing into her from the stream’s flow, she brought up her dagger, thankful she’d managed to keep ahold of it.
	The beast’s struggles grew more frantic as she sawed at its tongue. It jerked her around, making it more difficult to keep the blade on one spot.
	Above the stream’s surface, a giddy rumble reverberated in Ghent’s rock monster’s throat when one of its tongues lashed around the boy’s ankle. Honing in on its target, the first vine-like tongue moved to wrap around him. The second made for the fallen boy’s other leg. But the boy tugged free before the first could fully clench around him.
	Then came the splash and fizzle of the water. The beast’s attention snapped to the stream, a flicker of fear making its eyes glow a touch brighter. Then its fear turned into a panicked half-understanding.
	The beast seemed to forget about its quarry as much as Ghent forgot about it. The creature leapt toward the edge of the water.
	It stopped at the bank, keeping a safe distance from it. It let out a series of low, gravelly yowls. The unnerving cry echoed over the water, the element amplifying the sound.