Dragon Born Luna
The air grew thick with the scent of salt and damp earth, a welcome change from the metallic stench of blood and whatever foulness coated those creatures.
After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, we burst out onto a rocky cliffside. Dawn's first light painted the sea below in streaks of gold and crimson, the salt spray stinging our wounds. Behind us, the maze entrance loomed like an open wound in the cliff face.
Hayden waited nearby, dressed in uncharacteristic black, his usual smirk absent. His sharp eyes counted us as we collapsed onto the rocks.
"Nine," he noted, voice carefully neutral. A pause. "I'd hoped for better."
Sikat na Kabanata