Dawn reached the winter camp by degrees.
Gray touched the horizon first, arriving before there was enough light to separate ground from shadow. The camp showed signs of waking in its banners before it showed them anywhere else. The faction standards caught the early light at their heights while the world beneath them remained indistinct.
The Jochid wolf's track hung above the home section. Toluid gold showed to the north. The Chagataid standard and the Ogedeid imperial banner each took the gray at their own heights. The camp's political order appeared in the sky before it became visible on the ground.
Batu moved through the Jochid section, taking in what he saw.
The relay riders had already begun their rounds, the final exchanges of the night rotation overlapping with the first of the day. The system was functioning without correction. Routine had done its work.
