'It's a bit reckless, but this would work—'
Eli's thoughts scattered before he could even piece the plan together.
He had barely formed the outline of an idea—half logic, half desperation, the kind of thought that came when he was running on adrenaline and panic—when movement flickered at the edge of his vision.
The serpent.
It twitched.
A ripple passed through its enormous body, slow but deliberate. The motion sent a tremor through the broken cavern floor, shaking loose dust and chunks of rock from the ceiling.
Eli's breath hitched. "...It's moving again."
Kairo's arm instantly tightened around him, his eyes snapping toward the creature. His aura pulsed faintly crimson, defensive, ready to react at a moment's notice.
The serpent's massive head was still jammed into the cracked ceiling, neck twisted at an unnatural angle, its body looped around itself in a mangled coil. The way its scales flexed—like faint waves under skin—made Eli's stomach lurch.
