Every stone examined before stepping. Every shadow suspect. Every surface potentially lethal.
Her eyes scanned constantly. Looking for the telltale signs of mechanisms. Slight depressions. Different textures. Anything that might indicate danger before it activated.
Kael followed three steps behind. Close enough to react if something happened. Far enough to avoid triggering traps simultaneously. His shoulder throbbed with every heartbeat but he kept moving.
The second trap was poison gas. No warning. No pressure plate this time. Just vents opening in the walls with mechanical precision.
Panels sliding back in the stone to reveal openings they'd never noticed. Never suspected. Hidden completely until the moment of activation.
Green vapor poured into the corridor like fog rolling uphill. Defying gravity. Moving with purpose that suggested more than simple gas diffusion.
Like it was hunting them. Like it had intelligence. Like it wanted them specifically.
