Chapter 198

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Night arrived early, dragged in by cloud cover thick enough to swallow the stars.

Caleb stood on the western wall long after patrols had settled into their new routes. The land below looked unchanged at a glance—trees, stone, familiar paths—but the silence was different. Not guarded. Not held in check.

Listening.

“You’re waiting for something,” Elder Mira said behind him.

He didn’t turn. “So are you.”

She joined him at the parapet, hands folded in ...