COLD STEEL, BLEEDING HEARTS
They circled the flares, buzzing, confused by the light.
Maya reached the valve. It was a massive iron wheel, iced over. She gripped it with both hands, pulled. Nothing.
“Please,” she sobbed. “Move!”
Then she remembered the ring. She pressed its gold seal into the center of the wheel. Something clicked. The lock turned.
She threw her weight into the wheel with everything she had.
Creeeeeak.
The ground trembled under her. The drain opened. Water spun into a massive whirlpool. Ice cracked, buckled, and everything started swirling toward the dark hole at the center.