Selene’s PPOV
The mechanical *click* of the pneumatic dart pistol was the loudest sound in the world, cutting straight through the thunder and the roaring flames of the burning King Estate. Elder Marcus stood over me like a grim reaper born from ash and desperation, his finger tightening on the trigger.
My fingers were slipping from the wet, fraying root. The rough bark bit into my skin, drawing blood that mixed with the freezing rain. Below me was a gaping, black fissure that tore into the unmapped, cavernous stomach of the earth. I was completely suspended, my heavy abdomen pulling me toward the dark void, utterly defenseless.
Thwack.
The weapon fired. But it wasn't a dart that tore through the air.
From the darkness of the brush to the left, a heavy, jagged piece of flying debris—
