Darkness swallows us whole.
The shadow passage tears open beneath our feet and we fall—not into empty air, but into rushing cold, twisting through layers of warped magic and screaming wind. The sound of Ravaryn collapsing echoes behind us like the death cry of a dying god.
Zane wraps his body around mine mid-fall, one powerful arm crushing me to his chest as the world fractures.
“Hold on to me!” he roars.
Shadow slams into us.
The impact rips the air from my lungs as we crash through water and stone and twisted roots. Pain explodes through my side. I barely have time to scream before Zane shields me with his body, rolling through the fall until we slam into a shallow river beneath a cavern roof.
Cold water rushes over my skin.
For one breathless second, I’m certain we’re dead.
Then
