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He stopped in place, limping towards the edge of one of the paths. He looked back up to the slit he came through and then back at me, his features ablaze with fury.

"Die with him, you wench!" he screamed, his voice echoing throughout the crater. Each reverberation grew louder, burrowing deeper into my anguished heart and igniting myanger. He continued running until he made his way down to its center.

Desperation clawed at me as I watched Osric disappear. I turned back to Astor, his breath shallow, his skin pale.

"We have to keep moving," I whispered, my voice trembling as tears streamed down my face. I pulled him with every ounce of strength I had left, but his body had become heavier, and the cold air bit into my exposed arms and scraped-up legs. I stopped, inhaling a deep, freezing breath, seeing his blood smeared on the ground, a crimson trail marking our slow progress.

"Astor?" I breathed out, my mouth as dry as the desert. "Astor!"

I shook his limp body before laying him on the ground to examine his wounds. The second wrap was soaked through and caked with mud. My heart dropped as I felt for his unresponsive pulse.

"Astor! Wake up!" I shook his shoulders, unwilling to let this be his end. "Fight it!" Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, blurring my vision."NO,"I sobbed into his chest.

"Eliah, move."

I whipped my head around at the familiar harsh voice, hoping for a miracle, but I saw no one there and was utterly confused by his voice.

No, that's not possible.

My heart raced as more screams and shouts echoed from the crater's exit, followed by a thundering rumble that quaked my heart into motion.

I picked up Astor, tugging—

"Move!" Demanded the warm phantom voice against the slight breeze.

I swallowed, turning around again to find the voice. "No," I whispered back into the open air. "I can't leave him here. I can't leave him like this!"

I can't.

I slumped to the ground, my heart heavy with despair. Anger, sadness, confusion, and numbness swirled inside me.

"Astor, please," I wept in desperation. "Please fight it." I palmed my dirty face, scrubbing it over before crying out, my anger engulfing my being. My cry bounced off the crater walls, quaking the ground and surrounding area. Bits of rocks tumbled into the center as the rage blasted from my heart.

I gazed down at Astor's lifeless face, his chest no longer rising, and a crimson pool expanded beneath him.

"MOVE, ELIAH! NOW!"

The voice thundered in my head, causing me to falter and cover my ears before several bony Skinners emerged from two of the canyon openings as another jarring roar bellowed into the murky sky.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, pressing a tender kiss to Astor's brow before leaping down to the lower path, continuing faster down the labyrinth.

The Skinners quickly advanced, their tattered black cloaks billowing behind them as I leaped from the last narrow path towards the dark exit. It was a pitch-black hole, only large enough for one person to pass through, and it appeared to have been somehow drilled into the earth. Another roar echoed from within the cavity, sending chills down my spine. I looked up at the dark figures tumbling down the switchbacks and took a deep breath before plunging into the cold, dark hole.

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The frigid embrace of the tunnel's icy walls sent a sharp sting across my exposed skin, threatening to wrench a scream from my throat. Deeper and faster, it spiraled, engulfing me in pitch-black darkness until finally ejecting me into the watery light. Fighting the urge to scream, I slammed onto the slick, unforgiving rocky ground. Pain exploded through my side at impact and forced the air from my lungs.

Gasping for air, I surveyed the terrifying, black, rocky expanse and slowly got to my feet. The terrain was filled with thousands upon thousands of small obsidian pebbles that gleamed against the faint light. Low clouds swirled around towering masses of black stone that loomed tall and as far as the eye could see. Their jagged forms reached skyward like ancient sentinels while shattered remnants jutted out like deadly spears.

Large, dark boulders formed a formidable barricade around the area before me, creating an impenetrable wall. I scanned the surroundings once more, desperately searching for a passage through the wall of boulders, but found none. The only optionwas a series of scattered stones that led up and over one of the massive boulders.

I looked up to where I had been thrown moments before and spotted the small black opening several feet above, carved into the towering mountain. The chill in the air deepened, and a layer of ice coated the ground beneath like a corpse, stealing my breath.

Quickly, I retrieved my fallen arrows, urging my trembling legs into motion, unwilling to linger for the Skinners. I forced myself to run against the exhaustion pouring into every crevice of my body. I scaled one of the large black boulders, scrambling up its rugged surface before swiftly descending the other side, determined to put distance between myself and the dark figures.

To my back and left, the towering Adauntus Mountains framed the sky with their dark, jagged edges. Skidding to a stop, the black, wet pebbles sprayed outward from the force. Turning in frantic circles, I began calculating advantageous points but only found ones that would expose me like a beacon.

I drew in a shaky breath when suddenly, I heard uneven, shuffling footsteps against the black pebbles and muffled cries up ahead. Panic surged through me, and before I could think, I lunged into action, scrambling up another larger boulder to get a better view. A blistering screech tore through the air, causing me to lose my grip and crash back to the ground. The closeness of the sound ignited every nerve, screaming at me to run, hide, and escape.