Cassie's steps were hurried.
Tracing the wall of the Ivory Tower with her fingers, she ascended the long, spiraling stairs. The world around her was silent and dark, but beneath its calm surface, a dreadful storm was brewing.
There was a quite literal storm brewing outside, as well. The clouds, which had been white and calm minutes before, were now dark grey and heavy, moving like tattered sails under the onslaught of hurricane winds.
They flowed and collided with each other, producing deafening thunderclaps and blinding flashes of lightning. Torrents of rain whipped across the Ivory Island, making the lake boil and sending water streaming down the fangs of the dead dragon. It was as if the flying island had suddenly found itself in the very heart of a powerful cyclone.
'What is she doing?!'
Cassie staggered and leaned on the wall, feeling what Rain was feeling several floors above.
