Alyssane's pace faltered, she forced herself to look ahead.
The stone door was right there, but the tendrils were closing in. Just as they reached the door, Kazmun's hand tightened around hers, his grip urgent.
She felt something rotten and icy graze the back of her neck. A tremor went through her heart, her mind suddenly turning numb.
THUD.
Alyssane flinched.
The door slammed shut behind them with a deafening sound. She looked back and there was not a single trace of the shadowy creature. The beast's howls suddenly fell silent, and only the echo of its fear remained.
Alyssane curled her fingers into a fist, her hand trembling. The fear, the adrenaline—it was all too much.
Kazmun quietly glanced at the gate, and she looked at him. There was a trail of blood where his steps had been, her eyes moved higher and she saw the deep gashes on his leg—small, jagged wounds where the creature's tendrils had latched onto him.
She swallowed nervously, "Your Highness."
