We both scan the chamber at the same time. That’s when I see another pressure plate, this one directly in the path of the rolling boulders.
I bite down a curse. “Of course.”
Koen studies the timing, eyes narrowing. The boulders roar past in steady intervals, too fast, too heavy, and too merciless. There’s no opening large enough for him to reach it safely.
He moves closer anyway, body coiled like a bowstring.
“Don’t,” I warn sharply. “Koen, you’ll never—”
He glances back at me. There’s a strange calm in his eyes. “Trust me.”
He waits…counts…and runs.
The sound of the boulder coming is instant and deafening. He’s fast, but not fast enough. My heart seizes.
Without thinking, I fling out my shadows. They surge forward, wrapping around the boulder like black chains, straining against its impossible weight. My body jolts with the effort, every nerve screaming. The shadows quake, threatening to snap, but they hold. Just barely.
Koen doesn’t waste the chance. He sprints the last few steps and throws himself onto the plate.
The boulders vanish. Silence slams into the chamber, broken only by the ragged sound of my breathing.
Koen stands frozen for a beat, chest heaving, eyes locked on me. He saw how close it was. He knows.
The vines creak behind me, reminding me I still have to get down.
The descent is worse than the climb. Twice more, vines snap under my weight, and both times, I nearly fall. My arms are trembling too badly to hold on, my grip slipping with every inch downward.
The last vine breaks just as I near the ground.
I gasp, plummeting. But Koen is already there. His arms close around me, catching me hard against his chest. For a moment, neither of us breathes.
I stumble, steadying myself. He releases me slowly, though I feel the reluctance in it.
“You saved me,” I exhale.
His gaze doesn’t waver. His voice is low and certain. “I will always save you.”
The silence stretches, thick and charged, until I force myself to step back.
I shove at his chest. “You idiot! What were you thinking? You could’ve been crushed by that boulder!”
His surprise lasts only a moment before a slow smile spreads across his face. “Worried about me, little shadow?”
“Yes!”
His grin widens, lighting up his features. “In that case, I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Good,” I huff, turning to walk past him. But I don’t miss the way he follows a step closer to me, as if ready to catch me again at the first sign of falling.
------------? ? ? ? ?------------
Koen
The ground shifts under our feet. The runes along the walls flare again, brighter and sharper, this time burning a violent crimson. The obelisk’s light pierces the chamber, and a thunderous crack shudders through the floor.
A roar of stone fills the air as chunks of the ceiling break away. Whole sections of wall crumble, vanishing into theendless dark below. The safe paths we fought so hard for are torn apart, leaving only broken platforms suspended in midair.
I grab Serenya’s arm, pulling her close to steady her as a part of the floor drops away beneath us. She stumbles into me, breathless, her eyes wide. “Gods…,” she whispers.
