The messenger came at dusk, walking out of the Grey with empty hands raised.
She had been a farmer once. Her name was Lena. The Grey had taken her three days ago, and now she stood at the edge of Ember's Rest with grey eyes and a voice that was not entirely her own.
The Grey wants to speak, Lena said.
Sarah stood at the gate, her hand on her sword. "Then speak."
The Grey offers a bargain. Stop fighting. Stop pushing it back. Stop filling it with light and memory and song. In return, the Grey will stop spreading.
"What's the catch?"
The Grey will keep what it has already taken. The fields. The river. The people who turned grey beyond saving. You cannot have them back.
"You want us to abandon them."
I want you to accept reality. They are gone. The Grey does not return what it consume
