The instant his fingertips touched the edge of the scroll, the bronze serpent pattern gave a violent shudder, and the dark-blue crystal flared with blinding light, like an eye that had slumbered for a thousand years suddenly snapping open. Chen Wuya's heart tightened. He instinctively pulled his hand back and retreated, but the force had already surged in through his fingertips and into his meridians. Misaligned Force churned violently within him, as though some invisible thing were tugging at it, trying to rip it free.
The ground sank three inches with a thunderous crash. The crystal platform slowly descended, while runes along the four walls lit up one after another, spreading upward like a rising tide. The two members of the mysterious organization, still unsteady on their feet, staggered and fell. One of them pressed his palm against a raised pattern in the corner of the wall. With a hiss, three crimson flame-arrows shot down from cracks in the ceiling, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
Bai Zhi drew her sword almost at the same instant. Her flexible blade trembled into an arc of light, its edge ringing sharply as it swept through the air. Two flame-arrows veered away at once, striking the side wall and exploding into scorching sparks. The third grazed the fabric on her shoulder, leaving a charred tear. She spun and landed, tapped the ground with her sword tip to spring back to Chen Wuya's side, and said in a low voice, "It's activated."
Before her words had faded, a hidden door on the left burst open. A stone sphere the size of a millstone rolled out, charging straight at the crowd with a howl of wind. Two members raised their shields to take it head-on. Their bronze shields caved in, and they were