The tearing sensation faded, replaced by the faint hum of stillness. Lucrezia opened her eyes, bracing herself, and found the world had solidified around them. She blinked rapidly, trying to orient herself, but the ground beneath them had no firmness but a strange, pliant pressure that seemed to respond to his hold. When she dared to open her eyes fully, Lucrezia realized they were no longer in the forest clearing.
She felt the unyielding ground beneath her feet when he set her down. Cold surged through her boots, up her bones, sharp enough to steal her breath as she staggered forward, her balance catching only by instinct. Her palms burned from the sudden chill of the air, and when she drew a breath, it tasted ancient like ash, iron, and something older than fire.
They were here, she thought, and looked up where Blackvale unfolded around her in solemn silence.
