Adrenaline struck like lightning, crackling through his veins. He and Cirrus had remained civil to each other over the years for Vivienne’s sake. Well, maybe not entirely civil, but their disagreements never came to blows. Lewis’ clenched fists tingled in anticipation. Years of restrained anger, resentment, and contempt brewed beneath his skin.What I wouldn’t give to punch that cocky smirk off of his stupid face.
Lewis rolled his shoulders back, stepping into Cirrus’ space. “You’re godsdamned right I am.”
A deafening boom split the air, the sound sudden and violent, as if the sky cracked open.
* * *
The ground quaked in response,the canyon walls trembled. Vivienne’s breath died in her chest as the sheer force of the noise echoed through the valley, vibrating in her ribs like the aftershock of a cannon blast.Was that an explosion?
"What the everdark?" Owen’s sharp exclamation was drowned in the mounting roar of the rock beneath their feet, shuddering and splintering.
The second tremor hit like a giant’s wrath. The earth gave a deep, guttural groan. A low ominous rumble built from within the canyon walls, intensifying with each second. Chaos erupted.
"MOVE!" Owen bellowed, his voice lost in the violent cacophony of stone and dust.
Vivienne barely registered her own feet as she ran, her boots slipping over shifting gravel and loose rock. The air grew thick with dust, choking her lungs as the canyon walls cracked like brittle bone. Jagged fissures raced up the stone, widening with terrifying speed. An enormous slab of rock crashed into the ground with a force that made her ears ring.The canyon is closing in on itself.
“RUN! RUN!” Cirrus boomed, seizing Vivienne’s arm and yanking her forward as another massive chunk of stone slammed into the earth behind them, fracturing on impact and sending shards flying.
They sprinted along the narrowing riverbank, dodging the cascade of falling debris. The roaring sound of collapsing rock dominated her senses, drowning out everything but their frantic breaths. Another blast—closer—sent a new surge of tremors through the ground. Vivienne’s foot caught on an uneven sone, her ankle twisting as she lurched forward.
Inches from the ground, Cirrus caught her, his grip iron-tight around her waist. He didn’t stop moving. He didn’t let go.
“We have to get to higher ground!” Lewis yelled, his voice ragged as he scanned ahead.
“There!” Owen pointed to a narrow ledge jutting out from the canyon wall. It was their only chance of escape.
Owen and Lewis scrambled up first, clawing at the rock for handholds as the ground below split open. Vivienne threw herself forward, her fingers scraping over dirt and stone as she climbed.Faster. Faster.Cirrus reached up, gripping the edge and hoisting himself up after her.
A shadow formed overhead. Vivienne’s stomach plummeted. A massive shard of stone, easily the size of a horse cart, broke free from the cliffside. It was headed straight for them.
“WATCH OUT!” she screamed, shoving Cirrus out of the way.
The boulder smashed into the ledge where he had been standing seconds before. The impact sent a tremor through the rock beneath them. The ledge snapped.
She felt herself falling. For a split second the world was nothing but weightlessness. Then pain. The jagged rock below caught her, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her vision blurred with dust and agony as she struggled to breathe.
"Vivienne!" Owen and Lewis shouted from above.
Her ears rang. She forced herself to move.Up, Vivienne. Get up!Her hands, bloodied from scrapes, frantically searched for something to hold on to. She gritted her teeth, willing her shaking limbs to obey, to climb. Owen and Lewis lunged forward, their arms outstretched. Vivienne jumped.
The moment her fingers met theirs, they locked around her wrists, hauling her up with every ounce of strength they had left. She collapsed onto the unbroken part of the ledge, gasping for air as the tremors finally began to subside.
Vivienne’s chest heaved as she blinked up at Owen and Lewis. They were both covered in dust and sweat, but something was wrong.Cirrus.Cold dread slithered down her spine. She twisted toward the shattered canyon below, her pulse thundering in her ears.
"Where is he?!" she demanded, her voice thin with panic.
Owen looked away. Lewis opened his mouth, then closed it, shaking his head. The silence was unbearable. Bile rose in Vivienne’s throat as her stomach flipped.No. No, no, no.
"Cirrus!" she shrieked, her voice breaking as she scrambled to the edge, scanning the wreckage below.He can’t be dead. He can’t be gone.
The canyon lay in ruin, the rockslide burying everything with jagged stone.
Her body trembled as she desperately searched, willing him to be there. “CIRRUS!” She screamed again, over and over. Her voice was raw, each cry tearing a new wound in her soul. Sobs wracked her frame as she unraveled.
Owen and Lewis stood behind her, silent and helpless.
Her fingernails dug into the dust. She shut her eyes, grief crashing over her like a tidal wave.Maybe I don't want to live without him either.
