The moment the Guildmasters turned their backs, the shadows in the chamber twisted.
Jace's body screamed in protest as he hoisted Selene into his arms, the blood pooling around his side like a dark reminder of his fragility. His vision blurred, but he pushed through it — something told him, deep down, that he didn't have much time.
"Get moving," Zariah hissed from the shadows, her voice sharp and tense. She'd kept herself hidden during the auction, but now she moved with deadly grace, her boots making barely a sound on the stone floor. "They're going to send their hounds after you the second they realize what you've done. You're a target now, Jace. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
Jace nodded, though the pain in his side made every movement feel like dragging a boulder uphill. He shifted Selene so she was cradled against his chest, her head lolling to the side, her breath coming in shallow gasps. She was alive. But barely.
The shard inside him throbbed, demanding attention, pulsing against his ribs, as if it wanted to take control of the situation, to drink in more blood, more power. But Jace resisted. There were limits — even if it didn't feel like it.
"Do you know the way out?" he growled, barely able to speak above a whisper. His chest tightened with every breath, the wound burning where the stitched man had struck him.
Zariah smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "I know every shadow of this place," she said, voice low, like a predator stalking its prey. "Follow me."
She led the way, moving through the twisting corridors like a ghost, her presence flickering in and out of view. Her long, raven-black hair swirled around her, and every corner she turned felt like an invitation to dive deeper into darkness.
Jace followed, step by painful step, each one feeling heavier than the last. He could hear the sounds of the Guildmasters' laughter echoing down the corridors — but it wasn't the sound of a victory celebration. No, it was a deeper, darker laugh.
They'd already known what would happen. This was just another game to them.
"Don't think you're getting away that easily," Zariah muttered, pulling him from his thoughts. She turned sharply, pushing a wooden door open that creaked ominously. "This place is built to trap people like you. If we don't make it to the exit, we won't just be hunted. They'll erase us."
Jace's fingers tightened around the dagger he had stolen from the stitched man. "Then we won't give them the chance."
Behind them, the sounds of movement started to pick up — far too many footsteps to be casual, far too close for comfort. A dozen Guildhounds, their eyes glowing like embers, their skin rippling with magic, started to fill the passage behind them. They weren't just coming to chase them down. They were coming to kill them.
But Zariah had other plans. Her lips curled into a sinister smile as she snapped her fingers, and the world around them seemed to warp and twist.
The floor beneath them cracked open with a low growl, and suddenly, they were falling — deep, deeper into the abyss of the underground labyrinth.
The drop was long. Unforgiving.
The air rushed past them, sharp and cold, the scent of wet earth and mildew assaulting their senses as they plunged into an unseen chasm.
Jace's stomach lurched as they tumbled. It felt like they were falling for eternity before they landed — hard — on something that wasn't quite stone but wasn't soft either. The ground was slick with some kind of oily substance, and the moment his feet hit, he knew they weren't safe.
The Guildhounds were right there, skidding to a halt at the edge of the pit, their claws digging into the stone. They howled, their distorted voices vibrating through the walls of the cavern.
They'd only given Jace a brief respite. Just enough to catch his breath. Enough time to decide how to die.
Zariah rolled to her feet, barely even winded. She offered Jace a hand. "You've got to be more than just a pretty face if you want to survive here."
Jace, gritting his teeth, took her hand and used it to pull himself upright. Blood dripped from his side, staining the floor beneath them. "Just get me out of here," he growled, forcing himself to his feet, despite the dizzying pain.
Zariah surveyed the surrounding cavern, then snapped her fingers again. A flicker of violet light danced in the air, illuminating the jagged walls of the pit.
"There's a way out," she murmured, moving toward a narrow, almost imperceptible crack in the cavern wall. "But we don't have much time."
The Guildhounds were already leaping, their claws scraping against the edge, and Jace felt his heart rate spike. He didn't have much energy left in him, but he had to survive.
He could feel the shard pulsing again, louder this time, more demanding. And it was becoming harder to ignore. He reached for it.
"Not yet," Zariah warned, catching him by the arm. Her grip was cold. "You're not strong enough to let it out just yet. Wait until they're at your feet."
Jace's lips twisted into a grimace. He didn't have the luxury of waiting.
But Zariah was right. He could feel it too. If he let the shard take full control now, it would burn him out — drain him. And he wasn't ready to face that yet. Not here. Not with enemies closing in on all sides.
With a growl of frustration, he followed Zariah toward the crack, each movement slower than the last. But just as they reached the wall, a roar echoed through the cavern. The Guildhounds had found their scent.
And this time, they weren't stopping until they had them.
"Hold on," Zariah said with a gleam in her eyes. "This is going to get messy."
With a snap of her fingers, the ground beneath them erupted, sending a shockwave of force through the walls. A door, old and buried, screeched open before them, revealing the faint outline of an escape.
But before they could step through, a massive shadow loomed over them.
One of the Guildhounds.
And this one was different.
Its eyes burned with a fierce hunger, its body twisted into something barely recognizable, like a warped hybrid of man and beast. This wasn't just some mindless creature.
It was an alpha.
The air thickened with tension as the Guildhound stepped forward, its claws scraping against the stone. Jace's hand tightened around the dagger. But as the beast growled, ready to strike, a new power surged through Jace.
The shard howled in his chest.
And for the first time since taking it, Jace let it all out.