The Vaelmyr didn't wait for them to finish the rest day.
The ground shook just past dawn, hard enough to collapse two of the outer tents, and within seconds the entire staging area had erupted into chaos, soldiers scrambling toward defensive positions as a second, deeper tremor rolled through the earth beneath them.
"It's awake," Wren said, already pale, one hand pressed against her temple. "Fully awake. I feel it from here."
"That's not possible," Ashworth said, though her expression suggested she believed it regardless. "The Guardian estimated weeks."
"The Guardian was wrong. Or the probing attack told it more than we expected." Wren's voice tightened further. "It's coming toward the surface. Now."
Victor felt his own chest tighten, the resonance beneath his skin flaring in response to something he hadn't consciously triggered, golden markings crawling faster up his forearms than they had during any controlled session.
