They left Twin Pines at first light with full packs, fresh bread, and a small escort of local wardens who walked them as far as the eastern marker stone. Branna hugged Ysara once more. Gossen clasped Kael’s forearm and promised a rematch under less magical conditions. Children ran alongside until the path steepened and Sera gently waved them back.
The company was now eight: Lira, Sera, Kael, Sela, Cal, Tallen, Ysara, and Nima. The slate, the notebooks, the maps, and the lens traveled together. Behind them three limited or edged wounds held their new boundaries. Ahead, the Glass Blight’s pulse beat with the slow confidence of something that had never needed to wake because it had never truly slept.
The foothill road was kind for the first day. They made good time. Kael taught Nima a canal
