Chapter 8: Escape from Silverhold
The library, once a repository of hidden knowledge, was now a tomb, collapsing around them, a chaotic ruin of stone and dust. Kaelen, his face grim, his arm bleeding, grabbed Anya's arm, pulling her through a hidden passage revealed by the crumbling walls, a desperate escape route through the chaos. "We have to leave, now!" he shouted, his voice barely audible above the roar of the collapsing structure, his words a desperate plea for survival. They raced through the narrow, twisting passage, the city's alarm bells echoing through the tunnels, a frantic counterpoint to the pounding of their hearts, the rhythm of their escape. They emerged into a hidden tunnel beneath the city, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and fear, the silence broken only by the distant echo of pursuing guards. They reached a hidden exit, a small, concealed door that opened onto the riverbanks, where a small boat waited, its sails billowing in the wind, a desperate promise of escape. "We're going to have to make it to the open sea," Kaelen said, his voice hard, his eyes fixed on the dark horizon, the promise of freedom a thin thread in the encroaching darkness. They pushed off from the shore, the boat slicing through the dark waters, leaving the chaos of Silverhold behind them, the city's lights fading into the distance, a monument to the power they had unleashed, and the secrets they had stolen, a city they would have to leave behind.