Aveline's body went rigid at once, every thought breaking apart mid-motion as her head snapped toward the sound.
The quiet of the dungeon seemed to fracture around it. The impact outside had been sharp enough to vibrate through stone, sharp enough to make the stale air feel suddenly charged, as though danger had stepped into the hallway and the entire place had begun to hold its breath. For one suspended moment, the darkness, the cages, the creatures, and even the strange conversation about other worlds vanished from her mind entirely.
Something had happened outside.
And by the sound of it, it had not been small.
Aelion moved in front of her instinctively, his body turning protective before he even seemed to realize he was doing it. A second sound followed almost immediately after, heavier this time, unmistakable in the way it rang through the dungeon.
A fight.
