Jasper's voice splintered into terror, trembling as he struggled to piece the words together.
Auren, calm and steady, moved toward him and knelt. His gaze swept over her body—first the faint violet flames flickering in her palm before they snuffed out, then the ice beneath her, already dissolving into mist. But what clenched his gut was her plummeting temperature. His jaw tightened, and without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms.
"Follow me!"
Auren exploded into motion, tearing back along the path they'd come. Debris from shattered walls and pillars littered the way, but he vaulted over them without breaking stride, hitting the stairs to the Spire's upper levels like a storm.
Seconds blurred. They shot through a narrow passage, then veered sharply into a doorway—its frame mangled, as if something monstrous had ripped it open.
