Noel didn't wait for the carriage to complete the turn.
Before the new route fully settled, before the city finished closing in around them, he shifted his attention toward the presence he always felt nearby. It wasn't a command or anything urgent, just a clear, quiet intention.
The shadow responded.
At Selene's feet, where the light inside the carriage failed to fully reach, the darkness eased itself away from the floor. Noir emerged without a sound, her form taking shape smoothly as she separated from it. She paused for a brief moment, ears lifted, then moved on.
The second carriage traveled directly behind the first, close enough that the distance between them felt deliberate. Inside were Selene, Elena, and Charlotte, seated together, the atmosphere calmer than it had been in days. Noir slipped between the two vehicles with the motion of the road, crossing the narrow space between shadows as if it were second nature.
