Chapter 23
Darkness swallowed the sky.
It wasn't clouds or smoke. It moved like something alive, spreading from Augustus's hand in a slow, unstoppable wave. It rolled over the mountains and devoured the last of the sunlight above the hidden city, turning everything dim and heavy. The air twisted under its weight, bending unnaturally, as if the world itself was struggling to breathe.
Dragons scattered immediately. Their massive wings beat wildly as instinct took over, but it didn't matter how fast they flew. The darkness chased them. Fire flashed across the sky for a moment, desperate and bright, but it vanished just as quickly, swallowed whole. One dragon screamed as its flame died in its throat, its body dropping from the sky like something already dead.
