The Shroud thickened the moment they crossed the bend—thicker than anything bright and the squad had walked through since getting to vester. Bright could barely see the faint silhouettes of his teammates through the haze, and even his spatial foresight wavered like a lantern flame inside a storm.
Not that he could admit that out loud.
He inhaled and noticed the air smelled wrong.
Too metallic and warm.
Too… alive.
And the moment he realized that, a tremor ran across the stone beneath them.
Rolf froze mid-step. "Tell me that's YOU shaking the ground."
Baggen shot him a dead look. "Why the fuck would I be shaking the ground—?"
Something chittered in the dark.
Multiple things.
Bright lifted a fist—a silent signal. Everyone halted.
Everyone except Adam, who bumped into Baggen's back and hissed, "Move your giant ass—"
Baggen elbowed him. Hard.
Adam grunted, clutching his ribs.
