The water between us continued to boil. Thick steam rose in violent columns and turned the air white. The crack in the far stone wall widened with a sound like bone splitting under pressure. Crimson light spilled across the surface of the spring and painted everything the color of fresh blood.
Feng Lan's hand still pressed against my chest. Her fingers had gone rigid. Phoenix fire danced along her free arm, bright enough to cut through the steam, yet the flames refused to advance toward the fissure. The residual will on the other side was already pushing back.
"Move," she ordered, voice low and sharp. "If that seal fully collapses the entire mountain face will come down with it."
