The mobile screening lattice held as we crossed the bamboo paths. It did not make us invisible. It only blurred the edges of our energy signatures enough that the observation talismans registered movement without immediately classifying it as hostile. The hesitation bought us the first two hundred paces. After that the patrol patterns began to adjust.
Feng Lan led. She knew the internal routes that avoided the highest density of fixed monitors. Seraphina walked at her shoulder, temporal senses extended in a tight radius that would give warning if any of the remaining anchors reacted early. Lydia kept the screening lattice stable and ready to collapse into individual fields if the group was forced to separate. Vale covered the rear with both spatial anchors live. Elizabeth stayed at my left, close enough that any sudden flare of the mark could be met with immediate support. I held the closed cycle and kept the thermal seal under constant pressure.
