They left Harth before the second bell, while the foundation stone still glowed with its new spiral. Vesh walked them to the eastern gate and handed Tallen a sealed packet of College authority that might, or might not, impress mountain wardens. “Try not to let the repeating wound eat the notes,” she said. “Or the children.”
Cal saluted with the slate. Sela hugged her notebook. Kael promised nothing. Sera checked the sun. Lira felt both limited wounds settle behind her and the third pressure pull forward like a tide.
The road east climbed at once. Farmland gave way to rocky pasture, then to pine that smelled of resin and cold stone. The party’s rhythm returned quickly: Kael ranging ahead, Sera watching the rear, Tallen and the two young recorders in the middle trading observations, Lira a
