The world vanished as soon as my foot touched the edge of the fissure. Slipping, not falling.
It felt like I was walking into a broken reflection. The ground gave way to weightless, endless silver light, and my stomach lurched until stone rose beneath me once more.
However, the clearing was different.
The interior of the Cradle was a huge cavern with walls as black as obsidian and veined with light that pulsed like arteries. Every breath carried the taste of salt and ash in the heavy, thick air. As though they knew this place better than I did, my shadows curled against my skin and hissed low.
Thorn landed hard behind me, his claws scraping the stone as he regained his footing. Elid fell to his knees as Mira emerged next, white and irritable. Kalen was last, his glare burning hotter th
