The bell continued ringing as Lucien and Tavian ran toward the center of the village.
People were already moving.
Whatever else could be said about the village, panic had not erased preparation.
The warning from the tax collector had been taken seriously.
Doors opened across the settlement as families emerged carrying children, blankets, water, and whatever supplies had already been prepared for emergencies.
Watchmen shouted directions from the wall while several older men moved through the roads, guiding people toward reinforced underground shelters built beneath storage houses and larger homes.
Women, children, and the elderly were directed below first.
Those capable of defending the village moved in the opposite direction.
Lucien saw Luke near the northern road with a bow over one shoulder and a long spear in hand.
Cienna appeared almost immediately afterward.
She grabbed Lucien's arm.
"You're coming with me."
Lucien nearly stumbled.
"Mother."
"You heard the bell."
