Kai hit the ground hard, butt first, as a grunt of pain lodged in his throat.
He lifted his head, ready to complain, but the words died before they could take shape when he saw Bryan loomed over him—index finger pressed firmly against his own mouth. Clearly Bryan was telling him to shut up, but he didn't know why.
Beside Bryan, Bree crouched and poked her head out of the edge of the boulder.
It seemed they were hiding from something.
Her gaze was fixed on something beyond the boulder that Kai couldn't see.
But then, he heard it—voices.
Not the distant murmur of wind, the growls of Awakened Monsters, or the whispers that were played by his mind. It was the distinct, organized cadence of a group moving with purpose—bantering among one another.
Kai pulled himself up and peered over the boulder's edge, curious.
