Kael’s howl faded into the thinning dark, but its echo remained inside Mira’s chest. Her name still seemed to hang in the air.
“Mira.”
Ryker’s grip on her arm tightened just enough to be unmistakable. “You are not going to the walls,” he said.
His voice was calm, but it carried the weight of command.
Mira turned toward him fully. “He called for me,” she said.
“He called to provoke you,” Ryker replied.
The distinction felt sharp. “He called to speak,” she corrected.
“He called to draw you into open ground,” Ryker said. “That is not the same.”
The Warriors continued to move around them. Silverfang shifted into defensive formation along the inner wall, which marked the final boundary before the central caverns. The wooden barricades had been reinforced overnight when the alarms began.
