The sun climbed higher.
It should have felt like hope. It didn’t. It felt like a countdown.
Ashford moved.
After the scouts left, the fear didn’t come back. Not the shaking kind. This was different. This was the quiet before a storm kind. Shoulders straight. Hands busy.
Kael split us fast. “Walls. Traps. Food. Water. Move.”
Half stayed on the wall with Toren. The other half followed Kael and Jace into the trees.
I was with Lina and Dell. The kitchen crew.
“First,” Dell said, tying her hair back. “We feed everyone. Scared or not, hungry people make mistakes.”
She was right. The big pot from last night was still warm. She threw in more roots, dried meat, and the last of the herbs. The smell filled Ashford. Safe. Familiar.
While it boiled, Lina and I worked.
“Traps won’t stop 20 wol
