Aria's POV
The darkness swallowed us whole. The second the ledger’s glow died out.
For a terrifying beat, the only sound was the heavy, wet dragging of scales against ancient stone, accompanied by the ragged sound of our own breathing. The air turned so cold my teeth chattered instantly, thick with the stench of stagnant water, ozone, and decay.
"Aria," Julian’s voice came from the dark beside me, low and tight with raw panic. "Tell me you have a backup plan. Please tell me your magic didn't just break."
"It didn't break," I hissed through my teeth, fumbling with the heavy leather cover of the book. The parchment felt dead under my fingertips, cold and ordinary. "It turned off. Or... or whatever is in here absorbed it."
"Great. Fantastic." Steel scraped softly in the pitch black
