Dawn came thin and gray over the temple compound. The escort assembled in the outer yard without ceremony. Two scouts already mounted, Kaelara at the head of the small column.
Aiden took his place in the second rank beside Elizabeth and Selene. The residual monitors on his wrist and the matching units on the women remained quiet, flat lines with no spikes.
Kaelara gave the only order that mattered. "We move. Tight formation until the ridge. Scouts out a hundred paces." She did not look at Aiden longer than the time required to confirm he was mounted. Then she turned her horse and led them through the gate.
The road north was packed earth and old stone, climbing in long, shallow grades through scrub pine and broken rock. The air stayed cool. No one spoke beyond the necessary. Kaelara rode point, spine straight, eyes on the trail and the two scouts ahead.
