Finally.
Riley felt his body give out, every ounce of strength burning away as the flames died in his veins. Relief settled in, bitter but almost comforting. He had done what he could.
Maybe it was enough. Maybe it wasn't.
As his knees buckled and the world tilted, he thought he saw the ground split apart. From the corner of his fading vision, a figure burst out of the earth, golden light blazing against the choking dark.
Hallucination? Wishful delusion?
Riley could not tell.
He only knew his chest hurt and his heart was caving in, and as the blackness crept closer, one last thought crossed his mind.
Why are you late, Kael?
And then he was gone, swallowed by unconsciousness.
The figure who had emerged caught him before his body struck stone.
Desperate wrath.
Kael's face was twisted between a snarl and grief; his jaw was locked so tightly the muscle trembled.
