"Hawad, run! Get to the base of the stairs—now!"
The ground trembled as the worm launched forward and carved a jagged path through the ancient floor.
Hawad froze, caught in his panic.
"I'm going to draw it off!" Auri yelled, summoning the thread that immediately wrapped around him and Darius. "Just go!"
Before the man could argue, Auri yanked hard on the brush's handle, forcing the bristles to bank in a wild arc. The tool whined in protest, but it followed his command to skid through the opposite direction, carrying Darius with him.
Auri fought to stay upright, his balance nearly thrown off by Darius' dead weight that leaned heavily against him. He couldn't move recklessly—not while carrying someone who felt like a lifeless anchor on his back.
"Hawad, go!" Auri shouted again. "Now!"
