And if that wasn't motivation to haul ass. Cyrus was up like a springboard, and Lumen's hysterical sobs blended well with the demonic screeches that pierced the air. The ground beneath my feet felt fragile, as though ready to cave at any moment, and every instinct screamed at me to bolt, to run as fast and as hard as I could, but it was overridden, iron will keeping me five feet behind the lion and the boy.

Another step from the seaweed abomination. Another round of kissing dirt.

It seemed as though everything was stuck in slow motion; we finally reached the highest point, a heightened arc that overlooked the...