Liam stopped moving the moment Celia's voice came through the insignia.
The forest around him remained still enough to pretend nothing had changed, but his focus narrowed instantly. One hand lowered toward the dagger at his side, while his gaze swept the trees ahead and the roots near his boots. Panic would have been useless. Motion without information would have been worse.
Asher's voice came through a heartbeat later, much more awake than before. "Finally. Something worth doing."
"Do not rush," Liam said.
"I did not say I was rushing."
"You sounded flammable."
"I am flammable."
Celia's voice cut back in, controlled despite the strain beneath it. "I am keeping distance. Raven has not moved in. The signature is faint but consistent, and whatever is below keeps circling the same area."
Liam started moving toward her position, fast but careful, using the map they had agreed on and Raven's position above the trees as his guide. "How many?"
