[Midnight]
[Philip's POV]
The leather saddle creaked as I swung onto my stallion, the familiar weight of my travel bags secured behind me. I ran my hands down the horse's neck, checking for any lingering sweat from the earlier skirmish. As I adjusted the reins, I felt the mission's completion leave me with an odd mixture of satisfaction and restlessness.
Ace's footsteps crunched deliberately across the dry earth before he came into view. His silver hair caught the moonlight, but his eyes remained shadowed, giving nothing away. He stopped just within arm's reach.
"Where are you going?" His voice carried that particular flatness he used when asking questions he already knew the answer to.
I let my gaze wander past him to where Ray was checking the wagon harnesses, his movements efficient despite the late hour. Colt knelt beside a crate, counting supplies with brisk purpose. The others moved with similar purpose—this wasn't a group that needed drawn-out farewells.
