The desert was no longer empty.
Cassian felt it the moment he stepped beyond the palace gates.
Not heat.
Not wind.
Awareness.
It pressed subtly against his skin, like invisible eyes tracking his every movement. The sand stretched endlessly ahead, golden under the harsh morning sun but beneath that familiar surface, something had changed.
Something was awake.
"Tell me you feel that too," Menek muttered beside him.
Cassian didn't slow his stride.
"I do."
That was all the confirmation Menek needed and somehow, it made things worse.
Behind them, a small unit of soldiers followed in tense silence. No one spoke. No one dared.
Because the further they moved from the palace, the heavier the air became.
It wasn't just a rescue mission anymore.
It felt like crossing into something forbidden.
Cassian's gaze remained fixed ahead.
"She's here."
Menek frowned.
"That's a lot of desert for 'here.'"
Cassian shook his head slightly.
"No."
A pause.
Then, quieter
"Not the desert."
