"You look better than I expected," he said. "That's already more than I had in mind."
Vaeren let out a short breath. "Same here."
Renn looked past him, up toward the sky.
Solenne's ship was still there, high above, massive and quiet, something so far beyond anything this place had ever seen that it almost didn't feel connected to the ground at all.
"That's your way out?" Renn asked.
"It can be," Vaeren said. "If we move now."
Renn didn't answer right away.
He turned instead, looking over the people gathering, the settlement behind them, the paths that led out into the open land.
When he spoke, his voice was clear and firm.
"Call everyone back," he said. "Get the outer workers in. Bring the children in from the ridges. Leave what you can't carry. Take what matters and what you can move fast."
As soon as the order was given, no one questioned or debated it; instead, everyone moved without hesitation as they gathered the people and items they needed.
