Too late.
The fallen Omega consort hurled himself over the stone barrier, his chained figure disappearing into the abyss below.
Ryley stumbled toward the edge, catching himself against the cold stone. He leaned over the barrier, desperately trying to look down, but the dizzying height and the wind whipping against his face made it difficult to see anything below.
A sickening thud echoed through the palace grounds.
Ryley squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a ragged, bitter breath as the cold wind swept past him once more.
But then, a sudden commotion near the palace gates seized his attention.
The ground trembled violently beneath his feet before a deafening explosion ripped through the air. Amid the billowing dust and debris, a bloodied figure punched his way out of the underground tunnel, emerging from the ruins like a beast clawing its way back to the surface.
Silas.
