The body arrived at dawn.
Not carried.
Not hidden.
Delivered.
The gates were still shut when the horn sounded. Not a warning blast. Not a call for defense. Just one long, steady note that vibrated through the compound like a held breath.
Lyra was already awake.
She knew before anyone told her.
Mara reached her first, face grim. “You need to come.”
They didn’t open the gate all the way.
Just enough.
The body lay across the threshold like a deliberate obstruction. A man in a pack of colors. Blood dried dark against his throat. His eyes were open, staring sightlessly at the sky.
Lyra recognized him instantly.
Calder.
One of the truth-tellers who had stepped forward at the gate.
A murmur spread through the yard as wolves gathered, drawn by instinct and dread. No one touched the b
