The quarry never felt safe again after the deputy’s visit. His calm words lingered like smoke in their lungs. Even the broken quill halves in Lena’s coat seemed to hum faintly, as though remembering who they used to serve.
By dawn, Ysra ordered them to break camp. “We can’t sit in one throat too long. The Spire will cough us out.”
So they moved—faster now, a small army stitched together from rebels, freed farmers, Unsung, and stubborn hope. The ground trembled with every ugly rhythm Mireya and her students pounded into it, refusing to let silence belong to the Magister.
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Tired Soldiers, New Resolve
Dominic drilled their line as they marched. “Don’t just stand shoulder to shoulder. Breathe together. If your heart trips, your brother steadies you. If you stumble, your sister makes yo
