I dragged in a ragged breath as Lyra and I sprinted across the war-torn temple square. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment, but desperation drove me forward. Behind us, Ronan shouted something I couldn't make out over the sudden explosion that rocked the ground to our right.
"Keep moving!" I gasped, pulling Lyra along as debris rained down around us.
Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. The ritual in the desert had hollowed me out, leaving me a shell of myself. Without my bond to Rhys, I felt untethered, as if I might float away at any moment. But the pull toward the temple was undeniable—a cosmic thread tugging me forward.
A chunk of stone crashed down just feet away, sending up a cloud of dust that stung my eyes and filled my lungs.
"Sera!" Lyra cried, coughing and stumbling. "We need to take cover!"
"Almost there," I wheezed, my vision blurring as I focused on the temple steps that seemed impossibly far away.
