Chapter 92: The Messenger Returns
The third day dawned clear and brutally cold, a sharpness in the air that promised winter's final, deepest bite. The camp was a study in organized tension. Grynn's Crimson Paw warriors, now with a proprietary air, patrolled the outer ice fields. The Southern scouts were invisible, but their presence was felt in the uncanny lack of surprises. Silverfang worked on expanding the sheltered living quarters against the cliff face, using prefabricated sections the Vault's fabricators could now produce—basic, durable shelters that beat a snow den.
Lyra was in the agricultural bay, overseeing the inoculation of the next batch of growth trays, when the alert came. Not through the comms, but through the bond—a sudden, focused spike of attention from Kael, stationed at the command post. Movement on the southern glacier. A fast-moving group. Ronan's signal.
