CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY NINE – THE INFERNO

The crackle of flames provided the first warning - an ominous hiss and pop amidst the pervasive silence blanketing the castle ruins. At first, Kayla barely registered the telltale sounds, her mind still churning in the wake of Beatrice's harsh dismissal. It wasn't until acrid plumes of smoke began to tendril through the gloom that her senses kicked into full alert. Coughing, she surged to her feet, adjusting her grip on Cassie as panic skittered like icy tendrils along her spine. "Fire!" she croaked out, whirling to locate the source of the thickening chaos. There - deeper within the belly of the castle, hellish orange light flickered like a malevolent heartbeat. "Oh god, there's a fire!" Her shout ricocheted off the shattered masonry, reverberating endlessly until the thunder of pounding footsteps reached her ears. Julian and Sophie pelted around the corner at a dead sprint, eyes wide and streaming from the acrid smoke. "It was an accident!" Julian skidded to a halt before her, ch