The ridge did not feel victorious.
That was the first thing she noticed as the sun climbed higher, light washing over stone and scrub in pale gold. There was no rush of triumph, no release of tension the way there had been after other confrontations. The air felt… braced. As though the world had taken a breath and decided not to exhale just yet.
The bond reflected that.
It no longer pulsed in sharp responses or reactive surges. It moved slowly now, deliberately, like a system settling into a new configuration. She felt it most clearly not in herself, but in the others—the way Silas's awareness skimmed the edges of the land beyond sight, the way Rowan's attention flickered between paths not yet taken, the way Alaric's presence anchored the whole arrangement like a keystone.
They stood together without speaking for a long time.
Marrow broke the silence first.
"You have about a day," they said calmly.
Silas didn't look at them. "Before what?"
