Caelen sprinted.
He sprinted faster than he ever had in his entire life.
Branches slashed across his cheeks, leaving quick stinging lines of pain that he didn't even feel. Trees became smeared streaks of color at the edges of his vision.
The ground itself trembled under the violent weight of the massive serpent tearing through the forest ahead of him.
Every step burned.
Every breath felt like fire stabbing into his ribs.
But he didn't slow.
He couldn't slow.
Not when Eli was somewhere inside that thing.
"Move—move—MOVE—!" Caelen hissed through clenched teeth, diving under a falling trunk as the serpent's tail obliterated whatever it hit, turning ancient wood into flying splinters.
Debris exploded around him—shards of bark, chunks of earth, uprooted roots. The serpent's body carved a path of destruction so large it was almost impossible to navigate.
Almost.
Caelen forced himself through it anyway.
He had already left Arman and the rest of Lion's Fang far behind.
