Azura's POV
I was still kneeling in the cold sand, my fingers digging deep into the gritty earth, but I didn't feel the chill. I didn't feel anything. My hand was still stretched out, rigid and claw-like, pointing toward the empty air where Amanda had been seconds before. The air was smooth now, mocking me with its emptiness.
The ringing in my ears was deafening, a high-pitched scream that drowned out the sound of the stream, the birds, the wind, everything. My chest felt like it was encased in iron bands, tightening with every shallow breath I tried to take. My throat was burning, raw and dry, but I couldn't swallow. My heart wasn't beating; it was slamming against my ribs painfully, a frantic bird trapped in a cage, looking for a way out that didn't exist.
