Morning came too fast.
Nox woke to Serian gently shaking his shoulder, her touch urgent but careful.
"Nox, wake up," she said quietly. "We have a problem."
He sat up fast, combat instincts kicking in before his brain fully caught up, hand going automatically to the revolver beside his bedroll. "What?"
The fire had burned down to ash, the sky lightening with pre-dawn gray. Serian was already fully armored, sword at her hip, her face tense.
"Someone's been watching us," she said, keeping her voice low. "I felt it about an hour ago during my watch. They're being careful but I can sense their mana signatures. They're tracking us."
His sleep-fogged brain cleared instantly. "How many?"
"Two, maybe three. They're staying at range, about half a mile back, using the ruins as cover."
He rubbed his eyes, pushing aside the lingering fog of sleep. The best rest he'd had in days and of course it gets interrupted. "Gorok's people?"
