The first warning sounded before sunrise. Nova listened from the travelers' room as the Auri stirred beside his bed. Lunaris lifted his head from the folded blanket.
"That isn't an invitation to breakfast," Nova told him.
The cat climbed onto his shoulder anyway. Nova eased him down before the claws caught his sore shoulder. His bandaged palm still pulled when he made a fist. He checked the new rope and its leather sleeve, filled his water skin, and went outside with both companions.
On the north terrace, Ruth stood with two wardens beneath a shuttered lantern. One was a broad-shouldered woman with silver at her temples and an inspection cord at her waist. The other held a case of chalk, pins, and signal cloths.
"Nova," Ruth said. "This is Eda. She knows the upper shelf better than anyone still willing to climb it. Joss keeps the eastern markers and has been asking to inspect the route since yesterday. They'll decide how far the survey goes. Not you."
"Understood."
