Aria’s POV
We didn’t follow Sen to market right away.
Following used to mean orders, pace, eyes down. Today it meant Sen walked slow and kept looking back to make sure we were still choosing it. Three days, she said. But she never said “keep up”.
The road wasn’t a road. It was packed dirt where feet had gone before. Grass grew in the middle. That felt important. Ten years, grass got trampled before it could think about growing.
Keth walked beside Tav. Still hadn’t picked up the carving knife. Just watched Tav’s hands.
“Why’d you leave it blade-down?” Keth asked.
“Because a tool is only a weapon if you hold it that way,” Tav said. He showed Keth how to hold the wood steady. No knife yet. Just hands.
Darian kept glancing at the trees. Not for Warden patrols. For birds. For where
