The stone sat in the center of the garden for three days before the first outsider found it. I was not there when it happened. I was at the quiet grove with the children, teaching them how to read the simpler symbols from the markers. Julian came to find me with a look on his face that I had not seen before.
"Someone is here," he said. "Not one of the watchers from the ridge. Someone who walked straight in and found the stone before anyone could greet them."
I left the children with Renn and followed Julian to the center. A woman stood before the new marker, her back to us. She was tall and lean, with grey-streaked hair pulled back from her face. Her clothes were travel-worn but clean. She did not turn when we approached.
"This is new," she said without looking away from the stone. "The
