They crashed into the bottom of the sinkhole, which was easily thirty feet deep and still growing. The impact sent tremors through the earth that could be felt for miles. Soldiers on both sides of the conflict stumbled as the ground shook beneath their feet.
And then something else began to happen.
The sinkhole was expanding in a specific direction—toward the bronze Citadel. The massive structure, which had seemed so permanent and unshakeable, began to tilt as the ground beneath its foundation eroded.
Inside the Citadel, the six members of the Bande de Serpent who had been channeling power to Angus felt the shift. They looked at each other with growing alarm as the walls around them began to crack and as the floor tilted at an increasingly severe angle.
"The structure's collapsing!"
But Angus's voice boomed through the Citadel, carried by the magical connection they all shared with him.
"Do not stop! Continue channeling! The battle is not over!"
