The beast's leap tore the valley open. Stone shattered under its weight as the three jaws snapped shut around him, not only to crush but to bind, dragging him toward the pit's yawning mouth. Chains surged upward from below, coiling like living serpents, reaching to drag him down alongside the monster.
Asher met the rush head-on. His cloak snapped behind him as he vaulted upward, boots pushing off the beast's lower jaw. The scythe spun once, its arc traced in bloodlight, then cut down through a coil of chains rising to catch him. Sparks burst, links scattering like shards of black glass.
The monster twisted, its three jaws snapping in different directions, trying to corner him midair. One hooked jaw closed in, the bone teeth scraping against his side as it clamped shut. He shoved his boot against a jagged molar, forced space open, and rammed the scythe upward again. The blade split the jaw's hinge, snapping bone with a wet crack.
