The lead disciple froze mid-step. His hand shot up in a sharp gesture. Fingers spread wide. "Hold."
The command was quiet but absolute. The other disciples stopped instantly. Their boots squelched in shallow water. Mud sucked at their feet.
Kael shifted his stance slightly. His weight moved to the balls of his feet. His spiritual senses expanded outward, probing. Then he felt it too. The same disturbance the disciple had noticed.
A ripple appeared on the water's surface. Subtle at first. Easy to miss. But moving fast. Too fast. The energy behind it was sharp.
The disciples dropped into guarded postures as one. Years of training showing. Their auras flared in unison. Bright colors in the fog. Their formation snapped into place.
A Tri-Spike Array. Rudimentary compared to what sect elders could do. But functional. Designed specifically to trap agile beasts through overlapping pressure fields of linked energy.
The water erupted without warning.
