The western trail cut through low grasslands and scattered stone ridges, winding toward the distant cliffs like a pale scar across the earth. Ravel ran hard enough that his lungs burned. The sphere slammed against his chest with every stride, pulsing rapidly beneath the layers of cloth.
Behind them, hoofbeats thundered.
The Imperial riders were gaining.
"Left!" Seris shouted.
She veered suddenly off the trail, darting toward a cluster of jagged rocks jutting from the hillside. Ravel followed without hesitation. Caelen was slower, breathing heavily as he kept pace beside them.
Another horn echoed behind.
Then came the sharp whistle of bolts slicing through the air.
Ravel ducked instinctively. A bolt struck the ground beside him and buried itself deep in the dirt. Another shattered against stone near Seris.
"They are trying to slow us down!" Caelen shouted.
"No," Seris snapped. "They are trying not to damage the sphere!"
That realization hit Ravel harder than the sound of the bolts. They were hunting him carefully. Which meant the Empire valued the sphere more than his life.
Seris slid behind the rocks and crouched low. "Stay down."
Ravel dropped beside her, breathing hard. Caelen pressed himself against the opposite side of the stone, sweat running down his pale face.
The riders slowed in the distance. They spread outward instead of charging directly.
Seris peeked around the rock. "Smart. They know we cannot outrun horses forever."
Ravel whispered, "What do we do?"
Seris glanced toward the cliffs. They loomed larger now, dark and uneven against the sky. "We reach the ravine crossing ahead. Horses cannot pass easily there."
Caelen shook his head. "The crossing collapsed years ago."
"Not completely," Seris replied. "There are still narrow paths."
Ravel tightened his grip on the sphere. "Then we move before they surround us."
Seris nodded sharply.
The moment another volley of bolts struck the rocks, they broke cover and sprinted again.
The riders reacted immediately.
"Move to intercept!"
Two riders split off from the others, circling wide to cut them off before the ravine.
Seris cursed under her breath. "They are herding us."
Caelen looked ahead, eyes narrowing. "No. They are driving us toward the cliffs intentionally."
Ravel blinked. "Why would they do that?"
Caelen's expression darkened. "Because they know what sleeps beneath them."
A chill ran through Ravel.
The sphere pulsed violently again.
Seris saw it. "What is wrong?"
"It feels close," Ravel whispered. "Whatever is beneath the cliffs. The sphere can feel it."
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Not hard. Just enough to notice.
Caelen stumbled slightly. "That is not good."
The tremor came again, stronger this time. Small stones rolled down the hillside. Birds burst into the sky from the direction of the cliffs.
Behind them, even the riders slowed uncertainly.
Ravel looked toward the distant rock formations.
Something moved there.
Not visibly at first. More like a distortion. A shimmer in the air near the cliff walls.
Seris's face hardened. "The seal is weakening."
Caelen nodded grimly. "The sphere awakened it."
Ravel swallowed. "You mean me."
"No," Caelen said quietly. "The sphere. You simply carried the key."
Another tremor shook the ground.
A crack split through the earth ahead of them with a loud snap. Dust burst upward as the western trail fractured near the ravine edge.
Seris pointed. "There. The crossing!"
The ravine stretched deep and narrow beneath them, cutting through the land like a wound. Most of the old bridge had collapsed long ago, leaving only scattered stone supports and a narrow ledge hugging one side.
"It is too narrow," Ravel said.
"It is enough," Seris answered.
The riders were close now. Close enough that Ravel could hear the horses snorting.
"Go!" Seris shouted.
She leaped onto the narrow stone ledge first, balancing easily despite the drop beneath. Ravel followed carefully, his boots slipping slightly on loose gravel. Caelen came last, muttering under his breath in old speech.
The riders reached the ravine edge just as the three of them crossed halfway.
One of the Imperial soldiers raised a hand. "Shoot them down!"
"No!" another barked. "Not the bearer!"
Too late.
A bolt flew.
It struck the cliff wall above Ravel.
The rock exploded.
Stone crashed downward.
Ravel lost his footing.
For one terrible second, he slipped toward the ravine edge.
The sphere nearly fell from his arms.
Seris lunged instantly, grabbing his wrist with crushing force before he plunged into the darkness below.
"Hold on!" she snarled.
Ravel dangled above the ravine, boots scraping uselessly against stone. The sphere glowed violently now, reacting to the danger.
Below him, the darkness shifted.
Something deep inside the ravine moved.
Ravel froze.
Far beneath, faint silver lines glowed across the rock walls. Ancient markings. Seals.
And one of them was cracked wide open.
The sphere in his arms pulsed so hard it hurt.
Caelen stared downward in horror. "It is waking."
A deep sound rolled through the ravine.
Not an earthquake.
A breath.
The riders heard it too. Horses panicked instantly, rearing and screaming. One rider was thrown violently from his saddle.
Seris hauled Ravel upward with a burst of strength and shoved him back onto the ledge.
"Move!" she shouted.
The entire ravine trembled again.
Then came the voice.
Not from above.
From below.
Ancient. Heavy. Filled with exhaustion and rage.
"Who carries the First Flame?"
Ravel's blood turned cold.
The sphere answered before he could.
It blazed with silver light.
The cracked seals along the ravine walls lit up one by one.
And beneath the earth, something began to rise.