Morning brought three pieces of news and one immediate problem.
Advisor Pellam delivered the first two letters. One was from Ryn in Veythra: the spiral network had spread to eleven workshops. The stewards had shifted from seizure attempts to reluctant regulation. Elene requested any new techniques for teaching the double refusal to people without scars. The second letter was from Vesh in Harth: the foundation stone remained stable, secondary seals were quiet, and Irien had begun quietly recruiting scholars willing to study limited wounds rather than fear them. Both letters ended with the same practical question—where next, and what should the anchored cities prepare for?
The third piece of news came from the river. Overnight a narrow stretch of water downstream had begun flowing in two d
