(Isla)
I smelled the territory before I saw it.
Something different in the air, cleaner than Ashcrest had ever been, the kind of forest smell that came from land that was well maintained and well kept, where the trees were old and the borders were secure and nothing within them had been neglected for a long time. I noticed it without meaning to, the way you noticed things when your body had spent years reading environments for danger and was always paying attention even when your mind was trying to rest.
The sun was up properly by the time we crossed the border.
There were guards at the Wraithbone boundary line. Two of them, well built and alert, who straightened when they saw us coming and then immediately stepped aside without a word. They didn't ask questions. They didn't check anyt
