Page 82 of Wolf Queen Ruin
He nodded toward the narrow opening.
Point taken.With a deep breath, I reached into the opening, half expecting to trigger some final death trap or alarm.
Instead, my fingers closed around the Shadow Fang piece without resistance.As I lifted it from its resting place, a shudder ran through the entire chamber, not violent enough to suggest collapse, but as if the crypt itself was acknowledging the removal of its treasure.
The artifact felt warm in my palm, its weight suggesting a density beyond normal bone.Microscopic runes caught the light as I turned it.
“We did it,” I breathed.“The first piece of the Shadow Fang.”
Damien stepped closer to examine the artifact, careful not to touch it.“Remarkable craftsmanship.”
A distant rumble echoed through the chamber, followed by the unmistakable sound of voices.Marcel and his team, no doubt.Based on the echoes, it wouldn’t take them long to reach us.
“Time to go,” I said, storing the Shadow Fang piece in the specialized container Theo had prepared.“Please tell me you spotted an exit during your trial.”
“No, but look,” Damien said, already moving toward the far side of the platform.“There are more passageways in here than when we entered.”
As we hurried toward an exit, I cast one last glance at the Wolf Queen’s sarcophagus—the resting place of a being whose power and wisdom had bridged worlds long before I was born.
“Thank you,” I whispered, though I knew the spectral guardian was gone.
For a moment, I could have sworn the blue fungi illuminating the chamber pulsed once in response—a final acknowledgment from a queen to a wayward wolf-daughter who had passed her test.
Then we were moving through the narrow tunnel, the first piece of the Shadow Fang secured in my pack, and Marcel’s team’s voices growing louder behind us.
One fragment recovered.
Four more to find.
This wasn’t even that hard.
Famous last words?
Yeah, probably.
Chapter twenty-five
Luna
Asuddentremorsentancient dust cascading from the ceiling as we hurried through the narrow tunnel.The entire crypt seemed to respond to the removal of the Shadow Fang piece, vibrations rippling through the stone around us.
“This crypt could collapse on top of us any second,” Damien said, placing his hand at my back and guiding me forward .
A second, stronger tremor shook loose small fragments of rock.All around us, the sound of rapid footsteps and urgent voices grew louder.
“Marcel’s getting closer,” I said through clenched teeth.“Is he behind us or in front of us?”
Damien tilted his head, his heightened senses clearly working overtime.“I can’t tell.The source keeps bouncing around.”
We emerged into a wider chamber just as Marcel and his team appeared at the opposite entrance, their flashlights cutting through the dusty air.Marcel’s eyes locked onto mine, his expression hardening.
“Give me the Shadow Fang piece,” Marcel demanded.
“Never going to happen,” I fired back.
Larger chunks of stone began to fall around us.His mercenaries backed toward where they’d come from, self-preservation overriding their loyalty.
Marcel drew a gun, aimed, and cocked it in one fluid motion.“Don’t make me say it again.”
