The hardliners came at the turn of dusk, fifteen strong, moving fast along both canal banks with black-glass blades and the clear intent to reach the workshop door before the stewards’ formal party arrived. Kael’s warning shout cut across the water a single breath before the first blade caught lantern light.
“Now, Cal!” Lira called.
Cal yanked the last petitioners toward the rear passage. Tovan slammed the back warehouse door behind them and dropped a heavy bar. Up front, Sera and Kael took the towpath edges while Elene, Mira, and Jor stayed at the benches. Sela sprinted messages. Ryn positioned herself on the open threshold with a copy of Archive procedure already in hand, ready for the second force. Vesh simply climbed onto a crate with her notebook, eyes bright.
The first hardliners
