Tyron had no time to think.
He simply run toward the light, and instinct alone kept his legs moving. Behind him came the sound of something shattering, a burst of heat and mana, something exploding. He didn't look back. He couldn't. All he could do was run upward, toward the staircase that spiraled into the dim glow ahead.
But before he could reach it, the way up was blocked, rubble, smoke, debris. Instead, a crack in the crumbling floor was open beside it, revealing another passage above. The ground out of it was tilted dangerously, half-collapsed, glowing with lines of gold that crawled over broken seats and scattered debris.
Suddenly, a voice cut through his confused and anxious thoughts.
"OLGA!"
That was the princess's voice.
Tyron's heart hammered. He wanted to stay where he is, to hide, he'd always been a coward, and he knew it. But he remembered the promises he made, to the old man Diego back in Hinnom… and to Diego's daughter, Iris. 'He promised he would come back.'
