Sylva's aura, which had been burning bright and steady for the past hour, was starting to flicker.
The rescued Weavers noticed too.
A boy near the edge of the group started rocking faster. The scars on his face, where his God Mark was, began to glow faintly red again.
"It's coming back," he whispered. "The noise. I can hear it again."
Panic spread quickly through the crowd.
Jonah pushed more of his will into Sylva, forcing the aura to brighten again. The effort made his legs shake, but he stayed standing. He had to.
"Jonah." Vanessa was beside him instantly, with her hand on his arm. "You are pushing yourself too hard. At this rate, you will burn yourself out in another hour."
"I can handle it."
"No, you can't." Her voice was gentle but firm. "Look at yourself. You are shaking."
She was right. His whole body trembled from how hard it was to keep a Grade-5 Progeny at full power for so long. His God Mark felt like it was on fire.
But what choice did he have?
