'Here we go.'
The thought barely formed before the entire world moved beneath him.
The serpent's massive body trembled once—then shifted. The sound was deep and terrible, like mountains grinding together.
Beneath Eli's palms, the scales vibrated violently, the jagged ridges biting into his skin until he felt them tear.
The ground was gone. There was only motion—endless, rolling, alive.
Then came the sound.
A low, guttural rumble that wasn't quite a roar but wasn't just a hiss either. It vibrated through his bones, through the air, through everything.
Eli's breath hitched. His heart stuttered. "You're finally awake," he whispered, voice barely audible over the quake of the serpent's breathing.
