Something flashed on his left, there and gone again, like a silver flame being lit in the dark, only to be snuffed out a moment later. It appeared again, larger this time, an arc of color where before there had been none.

Not larger, he realized. Closer. Whatever it is, it’s getting closer.

“Did you see—”

“Shh,” Crescendo hissed. “Don’t attract them.”

He clamped his mouth shut as he was dragged another step forward. His guide seemed to be moving faster now, as though even she was in a hurry to escape whatever the silver flash was. More steps, three, four five…nine, ten, eleven…

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

A light had appeared up ahead through the gloom, just a distant halo at present, seeming to emanate from the entrance to a new tunnel carved into a wall of rock.

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…

Eight—

Ludo slammed to a stop, throwing both his hands over his head at once as the silver arc returned, not small, not far away, but huge and right in front of him and snapping at his throat with jaws as wide as he was tall. It missed, barely, teeth clacking together, and then it was gone, vanishing into the darkness and taking its light with it.

Unfortunately, Ludo had seen what had been invisible to him the entire time: They stood on a long, narrow bridge barely the width of his shoulders. The bridge spanned a vast chasm from which the—cave eel? tunnel serpent?—had attacked.

Ludo’s knees turned to rubber and balance felt like a thing he’d deluded himself into believing he had. One foot scraped off the edge, sending small stones tumbling into the abyss, and then his arms were windmilling at his sides and gravity was grabbing at his clumsy weight and his heart was leaping into his throat and—

A strong hand snapped out and grabbed the front of his shirt, dragging him back from the brink. Another hand clamped onto his wrist and pulled him forward like a drunk trying to make his way home. Whereas before his boots met only solid ground in the center of the bridge, now every step seemed to find its edge as he stumbled and tripped, expecting every footfall to be his last, carrying him into the emptiness of a void that would be ended only when monstrous silver jaws filled with jagged teeth closed around him.

Only Crescendo’s strong, capable hand kept him from meeting the fate conjured by his imagination.

And then it was over and they were off the bridge and ducking beneath the archway and into the glowing tunnel.

“Wait a moment,” he said, wanting to stop to catch his breath, which seemed to be sprinting away from him with every step.

“No time,” the Daughter of Ereniel said, as though they were on a strict schedule with not a second to waste.

“Please, I just need to—”

“We’re here.”