The commitment announced itself with ash.
Not smoke rising in the distance this time, but residue carried on the wind, fine and gray, settling on stone and cloth alike. It clung to the edges of the outpost, dulling color, muting light. A reminder that something had burned recently and deliberately.
Lyra felt it settle on her skin as she stood on the wall at dawn.
“They’re close,” Tyler said quietly beside her.
“Yes,” Lyra replied. “Close enough to want us to smell it.”
Ash was never accidental.
Reports came in uneven bursts.
A watch post was abandoned overnight. No struggle. No bodies. Just supplies gone and a single symbol etched into the rock face nearby, deeper than before, as if the blade had bitten harder this time.
“They’re not hiding anymore,” Tyler said as he studied the ma
