Chapter 52 Through The Shattered Gate

• The silence after the battle was almost worse than the fight itself.
• The chamber no longer roared with shrieks, but the echoes of them lingered, trembling in the air like the aftertaste of lightning. The rippling floor was still again, though it pulsed faintly beneath their feet, as though reluctant to release them.
• Lucia sagged forward, her silver flames guttering out. Her claws shrank back into her hands, leaving only scorched skin where the power had flowed too long. The crown upon her brow dimmed to a faint ember, its weight suddenly crushing.