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Something lunges from the dark shadows of the tunnel. Too fast to see, too fast to react.

I jump back out of instinct. Claws slash through the empty air where I stood a heartbeat before.

Ryatuv roars and surges past me. His tail whips and strikes the creature’s side with a sickening crack. It reels, screeching, but doesn’t fall.

It’s shaped like a man, but twisted into something monstrous—skin like ash, limbs too long, its face a hollow pit of darkness.

And it’s fast. It recovers instantly, lunging again, this time for Z’leni.

Z’leni moves like lightning. His blade swings, flashing and slicing deep into the things shoulder. The creature screeches and stumbling.

Ryatuv doesn’t hesitate. He slams into it with his shoulder, full force, sending them both crashing into the stone wall.

“Run!” Z’leni barks at me.

I don’t move. I can’t move. The creature twists, impossibly flexible, its clawed hand snapping out?—

And it grabs me.

Agony explodes up my arm as iron-hard claws clamp onto my wrist, freezing cold and crushingly strong. I scream, pure panic ripping from my throat.

Z’leni is on it in seconds. His sword drives into its throat. A sickening gurgle escapes its mouth, black liquid spilling down its chest. It lets go of me, its fingers twitching violently before it collapses to the ground.

A horrible silence follows.

Before my eyes, the creature’s flesh caves inward, shrinking over brittle bones. Within seconds, it collapses into a pile of fine, black dust. I stare. My chest rises and falls too fast.

“What the hell was that?” my voice is hoarse and shaking.

Z’leni wipes his blade clean on his sleeve.

“One of the Forgotten.”

I swallow hard.

“Forgotten?”

Ryatuv is breathing heavily, his wings twitching. His gaze is locked on Z’leni.

“You knew,” he growls. “You knew they were here.”

Z’leni meets his glare without flinching. He shrugs, a half-grin forming on his face.

“I knew we wouldn’t be alone.”

I press a shaking hand to my chest, trying to force my lungs to slow down. Then I realize something. The tunnel ahead of us isn’t silent anymore. It’s humming. A low, eerie vibration, rippling through the air. Z’leni curses under his breath.

“We need to move. Now.”

I follow his gaze— And see it.

Just beyond the collapsed remains of the creature, the tunnel widens into a vast cavern. An ancient ruin, crumbling and sprawling beneath the earth. The undercity. Before we move, there is a deep, guttural howl that echoes through the cavern.

Cold certainty slithers down my spine. I know it without needing to see. We aren’t just intruders here—we’re prey.

19

RANI