The sand was still warm beneath their feet when Arthur motioned them to gather.
They sat in a loose circle, sharing small, dense travel rations, salted dried fish, compact fruits, thick oatcakes tough enough to crack teeth if not softened with a small water spell. Quiet chews and slow sips filled the early morning air. They ate sparingly, conserving strength, their eyes drifting often toward the eastern horizon where Neramor's Shell slept under the rising tide.
Arthur knelt over the sand, drawing a rough line with his finger. He pointed toward the crescent shape they had seen from above, a broken reef of coral bleached bone-white by years of exposure. In its hollow curve, darker patches marred the sea.
"I saw the reef." Arthur said quietly. "Clear enough from the air. But there's something else." He marked a point further inside the crescent. "A darker mass. Deep. Could be a collapsed structure or something worse. That's the direction we'll head."
