A ghastly fissure cracked its way through the tunnel wall, streaking right past us.
Fuck, fuck, fuuuck!
Mela’s wide-eyed gaze tracked the crevice gouging through the rock. “Hellsgate.”
The fissure splintered off to carve up, up,up.
And the ceiling erupted with a violent blast.
Stone rained down in a hail of horrific thuds.
I covered my head with my hands as the downpour of rockfall clattered all around me.
A heavy rock struck my shoulder, pitching me sideways. Another struck my back, sending me sprawling.
I went down hard.
My armor barely softened their blows as I was half-buried under the rubble.
“Gray?!” I heard Mela shriek.
I groaned, dizziness murking my mind. I shook my head, scattering dust and small shards of stone free from my hair before lifting my gaze. Mela stood in front of me, terror shining brightly in her dark eyes. “Gray?”
She wasn’t looking at me—she was staring behind me.
“Holy hells,” she choked out, her body swaying with the trembling approach of the stone eater. She leaned down, reaching for me. “Get up. Get up, Gray!”
“Go!” I yelled while shoving at the chunks of shifting, jostling rock that buried me. “Get to the junction fast!”
Her mouth quivered in her hesitation to leave me behind. She parted her lips as if to say no, but I cut her off, bellowing, “Now!”
Her soft nostrils flared with frustration. “Use that godsdamned Crowther speed of yours!” she urged, before spinning around and surging forward.
The buzzing, sawing sound of grinding stone grew close.
Too close.
The fucking thing was almost on top of me.
I shoved off the rockfall and staggered to my shuddering feet, as an unearthly roar reverberated over me, triumphant and ear-piercing.
Ahead of me, Mela careened around the corner of the junction.
I pushed forward, my mother’s unnatural healing coursing through my body, dulling the ache and sting of grazed skin. I threw myself faster down the long stretch of a straight tunnel.
Stealing a harried glance over my shoulder, there was nothing but wildness in the serpent’s thinned eyes. Inhuman. Without mercy. It yawned its mouth wide, and I was staring into the deadly innards, with rows of rotating teeth.
A fat, long tongue snapped out, and I barely evaded the wet organ that speared overhead, the movement scattering my sweat-damp hair like a gust of wind.
But I was gone, dashing forward, racing for the crossing of tunnels.
A violent storm of footfall.
A blazing tempest of speed.
I leaped, hitting the rough edge of the junction wall with a foot.
Used it as a springboard to twist around mid-air.
