The chamber's air pressure dipped so sharply that Mailah's ears popped, a violent reminder that she was standing on ground that did not belong to the mortal world. She tightened her grip on the silver astrolabe, her mind racing. She had made her grand speech, she had defied him, and she was ready to step through the threshold of the Archive to finally uncover the truth behind her imprisonment.
She turned on her heel, fully expecting to cross the final boundary.
"Nice try," Grayson's voice murmured, far too close to her ear.
Before her foot could touch the golden light, a heavy, invisible wave of force slammed into her. It wasn't a physical push; it felt like a wall of dense water wrapping around her chest, lifting her sneakers a fraction of an inch off the cold stone. She gasped, dropping her arms to her sides as she was forcefully pulled backward, gliding across the obsidian floor as if she were being hauled by an invisible towline.
