Several days after Alarion fled in disgrace and Albus quietly vanished with Blanche and their clan, a cataclysmic upheaval erupted in Dragonmarsh. It struck without warning at Aylka, the inner city in Oakvale.

That day began with clear skies, and Oakvale was as bustling as ever. At noon, a deep, distant rumble rolled through the earth. It was as if some primordial leviathan was waking deep within the mantle.

At first, people felt only a faint tremor beneath their feet and assumed it was an ea