The air inside the lower corridor did not just feel cold, it felt like an invisible sponge sucking the life straight out of their bones.Vivienne gasped for breath, her knees buckling instantly as she slammed her shoulder against the damp stone wall to stay upright. The blue glow on her fingers vanished like a candle blown out by a sudden draft, leaving her skin ghostly pale and slick with cold sweat. She pressed her palm against her temple, her dark eyes wide with shock as her head throbbed with a dull, heavy ache.Logan, she whispered, her voice barely carrying across the narrow passage. My magic is gone. I cannot feel the water in the air anymore.Logan stumbled forward two steps, his hand clutching at his chest as a blinding surge of heat exploded beneath his shirt. The dragon crest on his collarbone was not glowing with power now. It was burning like a red hot iron plate jammed directly against his bare flesh. He dropped to one knee, a muffled groan escaping his lip

Malvane did not bother drawing a regular sword when he stepped out of the shadow of the holding cell archway, because the strange gray metal staff in his hand was already thirsty for blood.The Tower Warden stood tall and thin, dressed in high imperial robes of silk that dragged slightly along the damp floor. His long gray hair was pulled back tight, exposing a face carved with cruel lines and cold blue eyes that shone with pure amusement. In his right hand, he held a seven foot spear forged entirely from Dull-Steel, a pitch black mineral that seemed to drink the pale torchlight right out of the corridor.I was wondering how long it would take the trash from the northern trenches to reach my floor, Malvane said, his voice smooth and high, like a sharp blade dragging across glass.Get out of the way, old man, Garrick growled, taking a heavy step forward with his axe raised over his shoulder. We are not here to listen to your speeches.Malvane let out a quiet, soft lau

The man sitting on the cold floor of the cell was not the legendary hero Logan had pictured in his mind for twenty long years.Logan took a slow step into the dark room, his boots crunching on the dirty straw scattered across the stone floor. He held his Vanguard blade low at his side, his hands shaking slightly as the lantern light flickered across the thin, trembling shadow huddled against the back wall. The legendary warrior of the northern trenches, the man who had fought off royal battalions and carried the fiery legacy of the dragon crest, was gone.In his place sat a broken, hollow shell of an old man. His skin was gray and papery, stretched tight over his sharp cheekbones like old leather left out in the sun. Thick glass tubes filled with a strange, glowing crimson liquid were plugged directly into the veins of his arms, running up into a massive brass machine built straight into the stone ceiling.Father? Logan whispered, his voice cracking as he dropped his bla

The air inside the dying chamber tasted like burning sulfur, and the floor was falling apart right beneath their boots.Thick stone blocks dropped into the dark ocean pit below, one after another, as the foundation of the Void Tower split completely down the middle. White steam hissed out from the monster's mouth, its white scales glowing with a blinding red light that made the surrounding air feel hot enough to melt iron.Logan, look at its throat, Vivienne shouted, her voice barely carrying over the thunderous roar of the collapsing room. It is charging its chest core.Logan did not need her warning to know what was coming. The pale white beast threw its head back, its chest expanding as a circle of brilliant red energy gathered in its throat. The sheer heat radiating off the creature was scorching the stone walls three feet away.It is going to blow this whole floor to ash, Brandon rasped, his cold hand pulling weakly at Logan's shirt sleeve. Put me down, boy. You

The scorching heat of the Sun Gate felt like stepping directly into an open furnace, but the heavy iron gauntlet on Commander Tarek's right hand burned twice as bright as the desert sun.Throw your weapons onto the stone right now, Tarek commanded, his voice booming over the whistling desert wind as twenty heavily armed guards formed an unbreakable circle around them.Logan looked down at his Vanguard blade, his knuckles white against the leather hilt. His muscles were weak, his head was spinning from dehydration, and his dragon crest was thumping painfully against his collarbone under his wet canvas cloak. Right beside him, Kassia let out a frustrated growl, slowly unclasping her longbow and dropping it onto the hot yellow sand.Do not try anything stupid, Logan, Brandon whispered, his body trembling so hard he could barely stand upright without Logan holding his arm. Tarek is the chief executioner of the Solar Council. That metal hand on his arm runs on condensed sunli