They found others.
A handful of warriors who had escaped into the forest. A group of children hidden in a cave by their dying parents. A few elders who had been away from Hometree when the attack came. But the numbers were devastating. Of the thousands who had lived in the great tree, fewer than two hundred remained.
Anya was dead. Tarsem was dead. Jalen was dead. Half the council, dead. The clan was shattered.
Seri took charge because no one else could. She organized the survivors, found them shelter, tended their wounds, buried their dead. She did it all without speaking, without crying, without showing any emotion at all.
Kaelen watched her and worried.
"She needs to grieve," Vance told him. They had found the scientist in her hidden lab, somehow untouched by the destruction. "If she doesn't, it will destroy her."
"She won't let me near her. Won't let anyone near her." Kaelen's voice was raw. "She just... works. Constantly. Like she's trying to outrun her own feelings."
"Then stay close. Be there when she finally breaks." Vance put a hand on his arm. "She will break, Kaelen. It's just a matter of time."