Maggie was gone.
The white spark of her habit had vanished into the absolute blackness of the chasm thousands of miles below, swallowed by the sheer, crushing distance of the Precipice.
On the shattered basalt shelf, the silence lasted exactly half a heartbeat.
Then the Dragon of Thorns lunged.
The titan pulled its violet-grey wings tight against its ribs and drove all three fang-lined heads straight at me in one sky-splitting blur. The air in front of its jaws compressed into a visible shockwave, whistling through the chasm like a dying shriek.
'Okay. Five minutes. I just have to buy five minutes until she gets back.'
I didn't have time to panic. I didn't have time to check if my legs were still shaking. I threw my hands out and burned through my spirit reserves with ruthless, mechanical speed.
[Bear Their Burden]
