But it was clear now—Jael wasn't interested in conversation.
He wasn't going to give me time to breathe, let alone answers.
"I have questions," I said anyway, hoping—perhaps foolishly—that something in him still remembered reason.
But all I got was a guttural growl in return.
"Unfortunately for you," Jael snarled, his voice coated in malice, "death is the only answer you'll receive."
He moved before I could respond, slashing his blade in a sharp, diagonal arc. A wave of pitch-black energy—cold and suffocating—tore through the air like a guillotine.
I ducked low and twisted to the side, the edge of my cloak fluttering just inches from the deadly surge. The slash sailed past and slammed into the wall behind me with a thunderous BOOM!
The impact wasn't just noise. The entire cave shuddered, stones raining down from above, dust thickening the air. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls as though the cave itself was recoiling in fear.
I looked up slowly, my gaze locking onto Jael.
