The day after sunrise was quiet.
Too quiet.
No bells. No smoke. No wolves at the tree line.
Just Ashford, breathing.
Kael didn’t let us get comfortable. “Rest today,” he’d said. “Move tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was now.
I was up before the sun again. The staff was already in my hand.
Kael, Lina, Jace, Toren, and me. That was the team.
“Small group,” Kael explained while we ate. “Faster. Less noticeable. If we’re caught, Ashford still has 6 to hold the walls.”
Dell handed me a pouch. “Food. Water. Bandages.” She squeezed my arm. “Come back.”
“We will,” I said.
Sera and Nina stood at the wall with the others. Waving.
“Be safe,” Sera called.
“We’ll be back in 2 days,” Kael said. “Before Council.”
2 days. Through tunnels. To Rosa. Back with a witness.
No pressure.
The entrance to
