Chapter 40 – Into the Catacombs
The heavy iron doors at the top of the stairs groaned, the sound of splintering wood and clashing metal echoing down into the cavern. The council guards were breaking through.
"This way!" Zara hissed, lunging toward a shadow-drenched corner of the obsidian room. She pressed her palm against a hidden lever disguised as a crest on the wall. With a grinding screech, a narrow section of the stone slid backward, revealing a dark, damp passageway that smelled of stagnant water and centuries of rot.
Aria didn't look back. She hurled herself through the opening just as the main doors upstairs finally gave way with a deafening crash. Heavy, armored footsteps began a rapid descent down the spiral stairs.
"In! Quick!" Zara scrambled into the gap behind her and pull
