---
The first shell split with a wet, decisive crack and pushed a little wedge of pearl into the warm air. A dark head butted through, glossy and strong, then a pair of forelimbs found the edge of the break and levered wider with patient force. The sound multiplied —crk- crk -crk— until the whole hall ticked like rain on leaves.
"Hold," Kai said softly. "No hands unless a shell stalls. Let them work."
