I'd already learned my lesson from our earlier encounters. The moment I saw that first claw, I had already grabbed Zephyr's arm.
"Run!"
We sprinted back, and I activated the Silent Veil to become invisible. But I still kept glancing back over my shoulder - to see what nightmarish thing was emerging from that pool of darkness.
THUD.
My face slammed into something solid. Stars exploded across my vision as I bounced off what felt like a bone wall that definitely hadn't been there moments before. The Silent Veil flickered and died as I hit the ground, dazed.
"The path..." Zephyr's voice was tight with barely controlled panic.
Where the tunnel path had been, there was nothing but smooth bone wall. We were trapped.
Slowly, we turned back toward the chamber.
The creature was almost fully emerged now, standing motionless beside the pedestal. It towered at least three meters tall, its skeletal frame draped in tattered shadows that seemed to move independently of any wind.
