“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road can take you there.” 

-Lewis Carroll 

Prologue 

Achlys slipped by, narrowly avoiding a dark tendril that sprang from the dragon. He darted forward, spotting an opening. The dragon’s exposed belly came into view. Matte black scales covered the beast, so dark that light was swallowed up with every shift of the massive creature. Dark mist-like tendrils reached toward him and his teammates, who lingered behind. 

 He slashed down with his poisoned blade. It slammed into the dragon’s scales, bouncing back toward him. It barely scratched the surface. He paused, blinking down at his knife. Deep gashes ran down the length of his blade. 

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The dragon roared, the sound reverberated through the air, thundering across the plains; and Achlys sprinted back into action. As he ran, a tendril caught him, wrapping around his ankle. It dragged him backward.  

He felt his energy drain out of him as he tried to crawl forward. His fingers dug into the dirt, trying to find purchase. His nails ripped to shreds as he dug through the earth. Blood mixed with brown mud coated his fingers. 

His arms slackened, and the edges of his vision turned black. He heard the frantic calls of his teammates as his arms disintegrated into nothing. Darkness enveloped him, and his eyes met Ethan’s, a look of utter terror on his face.  

The last thing he heard was Ethan’s guttural scream before the world faded from view.