The world crumbled to fire and stone. My ears were ringing, my lungs burning in the dust and heat. For a few torturous moments, I thought I was dead.
Then Wren’s hand caught my arm, yanking me back from the raining rubble. “Vivian, breathe! Stay with me!”
I coughed until my ribs ached, my vision blurred. The chamber was a ruin. Pillars lay cracked and broken, the great wall a ragged maw now spilling light so fierce it hurt to look at.
But Gideon was gone.
The truth was like a blade to the gut. He hadn’t simply been swallowed by the collapse, he’d stepped into the rift. Willingly.
“No…” My voice was hoarse, thin and weak. I lurched forward, but Wren held me fast.
“You can’t,” she hissed, eyes wet and furious. “That’s not a doorway, it’s a death sentence!”
“Then why is he still alive?
