The morning after the push felt different. Heavier. Like the air itself remembered what had almost opened.
I sat with Cassian at the table before anyone else was up. "It was stronger last night. You felt it too."
He nodded. "Stronger and smarter. It went straight for the bench again. We need a better plan than just reacting."
I poured water for both of us. "Mira led well. Thorne held steady. But if it keeps growing we will need more than the old line. Talk to me. What are you thinking?"
Cassian rubbed his face. "We mark the ground wider. Put stones the girls collected in a circle around it. Make it a clear boundary. And we start teaching Mira and Thorne how to seal without us if they have to."
"That makes sense," I said. "They are ready for more. The girls are not. We keep them furthe
