CHAPTER 27: THE PATH WE SHARE
The convoy rolled home slow and steady under a sky streaked soft pink and deep violet, the new compass patch stitched in silver thread glowing bright on Kael’s cut. We pulled through the compound gates as dawn broke over the eastern ridges, and before our engines had even cooled, more messengers were waiting — riders from three more counties, their dust‑caked cuts showing half a dozen different chapter emblems, their faces a raw mix of bone‑deep weariness and quiet, desperate hope. Word had raced ahead of us across the whole region: we didn’t claim land, we didn’t demand loyalty or tribute, we didn’t rule from a distance — we only stood with those who’d been left to fight alone.
That afternoon, we gathered every chapter officer, trusted rider, and ally aroun
