The explosion of light swallowed them whole.
For a heartbeat, Alessia felt nothing ,she felt no floor beneath her, no air in her lungs, no river holding her captive.
Just weightless darkness, stretching and collapsing all at once.
Her fingers clutched blindly for Luca, she found him.
His hand closed around hers, grounding her in the void.
"Princess Elowen" Luca shouted, voice echoing into the nothingness.
"I'm here" Princess Elowen's voice cut sharply through the swirl of shadows as she grabbed Alessia's other arm. "Don't let go"
And then the world snapped back.
A cold slap of air, the sting of stone under their knees, the echo of dripping water returning like a heartbeat.
Alessia gasped sharply, grabbing her chest as the river released her.
Luca pulled her into his arms immediately, running his hands over her arms, her face, her belly.
"Are you hurt? Talk to me, amore."
She shook her head but her eyes were wide, haunted.
