The alarms hit before sunrise.
Closer this time.
They were getting bolder.
“Fire confirmed,” Casius said over comms, voice clipped and controlled. “Not the outer villages. Council-adjacent settlement—the nearest village inside the ridge. Twenty-five miles south. Wards didn’t trigger. Internal breach likely.”
Lucian snapped his holster shut. “Wake everyone. Prep the convoy.”
Then he paused and turned back.
“My father and Elder Neris stay here. Dorian as well.”
Casius studied him for a beat. “For safety?”
Lucian met his gaze. He didn’t explain. He didn’t need to.
He nodded once.
That was answer enough.
Talia was already sitting upright when Lucian entered their chamber.
“The valley village,” she said quietly, reading his face. “The one inside the ridge.”
“Yes.”
“I’m coming.”
S
