Ariane:
The shimmer spat us out like chewed gristles, hurling bodies into the thick moss and cool loam of the forest just beyond Tenebrous's wards.
I dropped to my knees the moment the magic released me, my ribs locking in protest as bile rose up and spilled from my lips. The air was sharp and wet with pine, but I could barely taste it over the acid burn in my throat.
Around me, the others landed in tangled heaps, groaning, gasping, and coughing. But we were out.
We were alive.
For a breathless heartbeat, silence. And then—
A cheer erupted from the wounded and warriors alike, wild and raw as thunder. Applause and howls, wordless cries of triumph rising like birds startled from the canopy. Someone shouted my name, then another. Then, the others joined in. "Ariane!" "Ariane!" " Ariane!
