Chapter 36 A Fragile Truce

• The cavern's formerly overwhelming darkness started to fade, but the tension in the air persisted like a weighted blanket. I was breathing raggedly and shallowly, and every breath felt like glass fragments. The altar had been full of promise, but now it sat in the middle of the room, lifeless, its strength gone. Crumpled against the wall, Sebastian's thin shape lay still.
• "Sebastian!" I hurried to his side, my voice quivering. He sighed gently, a flash of life still there, but he didn’t open his eyes.
• Panic burst within me. I was unable to let go of him, not after everything we had experienced.