The chamber exploded into violence as Saxe's twin sabers carved silver arcs through the amber-tinted air. Pierre rolled sideways, his rusty pipe clanging against the volcanic glass floor as he narrowly avoided decapitation. Hardy's stolen darkness surged through his veins, lending him strength and speed that felt foreign yet necessary.
Jack's voice boomed across the cavern like a battle hymn written by someone who'd never seen actual combat. "Fear not, fair maidens! Your noble hero has arrived!"
Noble hero? Pierre thought, parrying another of Saxe's lightning-fast strikes. This moron just called Raven a fair maiden. She's going to murder him herself.
