The sound of wood splintering beneath us as I carried Regina had been deafening, but the solid ground beneath our feet now was even more welcome than I'd expected. Despite the mountain of catastrophes we'd just survived, a grin spread across my face as I looked at the ancient ruins before us.
"We made it!" I declared, setting my sister down carefully. She winced as her injured leg touched the ground, but she was smiling too—a rare sight that warmed something deep in my chest.
The silence after the chaos of the bridge collapse was almost deafening. I turned to look at Seraphina, who was leaning heavily against a tree trunk, her face pale but conscious. Her clothes were torn and bloodied, but the fire in her eyes remained undimmed.
"You know," I said, breaking the silence, "for a second there, I thought we were—"
A bloodcurdling scream cut through the air.
