Twilight was thinning, the shadows deepening as the ground beneath them trembled like the back of a sleeping giant stirred awake. Vaelarien stumbled to a halt, panting hard, sweat tracing silver lines down his pale forehead. His fingers clenched so tightly around the Heartwood seal it seemed as though he feared it might crumble in his grip.
"No time," he gasped, voice ragged and desperate. He swayed on his feet, his knees nearly buckling from the strain. "They're not dormant anymore."
Sylvanna whipped her gaze back toward the massive dragon they'd just escaped. The creature watched them silently, amber eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. Though no longer openly hostile, it was clear the beast was alert, tense, its claws flexing restlessly against the earth. Sylvanna felt an uneasy chill creep down her spine.
"Who—" she began, her voice taut with suspicion and urgency, but Vaelarien silenced her with a sharp slash of his hand through the air.
