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He let out a long sigh. “What spell did you learn?”

Knowledge flooded through me, my brain pulling up memories that I didn’t remember having before. I saw myself pouring through a magical tome, spending days and weeks perfecting this new spell. A name came to me, one that sent a wave of cold fear washing through my body.

“One I shouldn’t know,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “It… It’s necromancy.”

Sky’s eyes went wide. “Can you forget it? You’ve got to forget it.”

“I… I don’t think I can.” I felt tears pooling at the corners of my eyes, my emotions overwhelming me in an instant. “The RSB… They’re going to kill me, aren’t they?”

Sky’s expression hardened, his ears flattening against his head. “No,” he said firmly. “They’re not going to touch you.”

I blinked, surprised by the fierce protectiveness in his voice. “But... necromancy is illegal. If they find out-”

“They won’t,” Sky cut me off. He glanced around the room, his tail swishing nervously. “ Just don’t talk about it and never use that spell.” He didn’t wait for me to reply. “We need to get out of here. Now. ”

“What about the skill books?” I asked, gesturing to the shelves we’d spent nearly an hour cataloging.

Sky shook his head. “Forget them. Your safety is more important.” He grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the exit.

“We’ll tell Captain Boromia we found nothing but empty shelves and cobwebs.

The dungeon must have been picked clean long ago.

They’ll never come here to investigate. They won’t risk the lives of their higher-ranking members for nothing.

But we can’t risk them realizing this place is full of dark and forbidden magic. ”

As we hurried through the winding corridors of the dungeon, Sky kept talking.

“Never mention this to anyone. Not even your party. They can’t know.

Even I could be a danger to you if they force a truth spell on me.

But I’ve been under one before and there are ways around it if you’re clever.

” He pulled me back the way we’d come, leaving the library far behind.

“And whatever you do, never, under any circumstances, cast that spell, whatever it is.”

I nodded, my mind reeling as we fled through the dungeon’s twisting passages. The weight of what had just happened settled heavily on my shoulders. I’d gone from excited about a treasure trove of knowledge to a criminal on death row in the span of a few heartbeats.

“Sky,” I whispered as we paused at an intersection, catching our breath. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.”

He turned to me, his blue eyes softening slightly. “What’s done is done. We just need to focus on getting out of here safely.”

As we rounded another corner, a distant roar echoed through the stone corridors. Sky’s ears perked up, his body tensing.

“That doesn’t sound good,” I murmured.

“No, it doesn’t,” Sky agreed. “We need to move faster. There’s a reason nobody makes it out of this dungeon alive.”

We broke into a run, our footsteps echoing off the damp stone walls. The roar sounded again, closer this time, accompanied by the thunderous pounding of massive feet.

“What is that?” I gasped between breaths.

“Nothing good,” Sky growled. “Just keep running.”

We sprinted through the maze-like corridors, taking sharp turns and leaping over fallen debris. The beast behind us, whatever it was, was gaining ground, its bellows shaking dust and loose stone from the ceiling.

Suddenly, Sky skidded to a halt, throwing out an arm to stop me. Before us yawned a massive chasm, stretching into darkness on either side. A narrow stone bridge spanned the gap, crumbling and treacherous. Turning side to side, it was easy to see there was no other way across.

“We have to cross,” Sky said, his eyes darting between the bridge and the passage behind us.

I swallowed hard, eyeing the precarious bridge so thin at the center that we’d have to walk single file. “I don’t like this,” I said. “Something about this feels familiar… like I’ve read it in a book somewhere. I don’t remember it but… it doesn’t end well.”

Sky’s ears flattened against his head as another roar echoed through the passage. “We don’t have a choice,” he growled, grabbing my hand. “Come on!”

We stepped onto the bridge, the ancient stone creaking ominously beneath our feet.

I tried not to look down at the bottomless darkness below, focusing instead on Sky’s back as he led the way.

Halfway across, the thundering footsteps grew louder.

I risked a glance back and felt my heart stop.

Emerging from the passage was a monstrous creature - part bull, part man, its massive horns scraping the ceiling as it walked.

It had to be at least fifteen feet tall.

“Minotaur!” I screamed, though I didn’t know how I knew its name.

Sky cursed, picking up the pace. “Don’t look back, just run!”

We sprinted across the remaining stretch of bridge, the stone crumbling beneath our feet with each step. The minotaur roared, its booming footsteps shaking the entire cavern as it charged onto the bridge. The ancient stone groaned under its massive weight, cracks spider-webbing across the surface.

“It’s going to collapse!” I yelled, my legs burning as we raced towards the other side.

Sky didn’t respond, his focus entirely on the rapidly approaching edge of the chasm. The bridge swayed dangerously, chunks of stone falling into the abyss below. We had maybe a second or two to span the gap. It wasn’t gonna hold.

Just as we reached the final stretch, a deafening crack echoed through the cavern.

The bridge gave way behind us, crumbling into the darkness.

The minotaur’s roar turned to a bellow of surprise and fear as it plummeted out of sight.

However, we had just enough time to react and leapt for solid ground, the last of the bridge disintegrating beneath our feet.

Sky’s hand gripped mine tightly as we sailed through the air, time seeming to slow as we reached for safety.

For a terrifying moment, I thought we wouldn’t make it. Then Sky’s feet hit the edge, and he yanked me forward with all his strength. We tumbled onto solid ground, rolling away from the chasm’s edge as the last echoes of the minotaur’s fall faded into silence.

Gasping for breath, I lay on my back, staring up at the cavern ceiling. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Beside me, Sky pushed himself up to a sitting position, his ears twitching as he listened for any further danger.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice gruff but tinged with fear and worry.

“Yeah,” I gasped. “And I’m really hoping this day doesn’t get any worse.”

He nodded, collapsing beside me. “You and me both.”