Seravine gasped as the cavern trembled beneath her feet, a low rumble echoing through the underground chamber like the growl of some ancient beast stirring in its slumber. The force of it sent loose gravel tumbling from the ledges, and fine dust rained down like ash.
She shot to her feet, her eyes darting toward the far end of the cavern—toward where she'd last seen Caspian.
Her fingers clutched the edge of his cloak tighter around her, the fabric suddenly feeling too thin, too fragile against the violence unfolding in the shadows. Behind her, Mathias rose slowly, brushing dirt from his trousers with deliberate calm. A crooked smile played on his lips.
"And so the game begins," he murmured, almost to himself. His tone was amused.
A thunderous crack split the air as a section of the cavern ceiling fractured. Shards of stone rained down in a brutal cascade, and for a heartbeat, everything disappeared in a cloud of smoke and debris. A jagged silence followed—thick, heavy, unnatural.
