Eris spun at the sound of the Commander's voice, her eyes wide and alert. She felt the shift in the air before she saw the intruder.
Sensing the threat, she instinctively pushed Mira behind her, her free arm acting as a physical barrier. She stepped into a defensive crouch, her body shielding the boy in her arms from whatever stood in the shadows.
"Mama?" Rael whimpered, his small hands fisting into her tunic as he sensed the sudden, jagged tension in the air.
"I've got you," Eris whispered, her eyes locking onto the figure at the end of the hall.
Bianca stood her ground, her hands visible to show she wasn't reaching for a weapon, though her fingers were already beginning to spark with a cold, blue light. She assessed the distance. Twenty feet. Wide enough for a spell, narrow enough for a lunge.
A smile began to spread slowly across Bianca's face. It wasn't a kind smile. It was the expression of a scavenger who had stumbled upon a wounded lion.
