The officer flinched at Dax's tone but didn't retreat. He held the line with the stubbornness of someone who'd already watched too many people get hurt.
"We reinforced the eastern region, Your Majesty," he said. "But the concentration… it's accelerating."
Dax's gaze lifted from the map, sharp and predatory. "Accelerating how?"
Rowan leaned closer, his shadow falling over the marked perimeter like a warning. His voice dropped into something ugly and practical. "Like it's not burning itself out, but multiplying."
The officer gave one stiff nod. "Yes. The beasts are changing. They are not only aggressive but also adapting to the perimeter. The mutation that possessed them is more intelligent than anyone anticipated."
Dax's expression didn't change, but the air around him tightened anyway.
"Mutation," Dax repeated, tasting the word like it offended him.
