Night settled slowly over the camp.
The fire burned steadier now, no longer close to dying.
Lira sat beside it, hands warmed by the flames.
The bonded woman sat across from her, still cautious but listening.
"You really faced him?" the woman asked quietly.
"The heir himself?"
Lira nodded.
"Yes. In Grayhaven."
The man beside the woman let out a short breath.
"And you lived…"
Kael felt their disbelief through the bond.
Not envy.
Wonder.
We lived because we stood together, his intent flowed gently.
Lira felt it and spoke the truth aloud.
"We were terrified," she said.
"But fear doesn't decide everything."
The woman stared into the fire.
"We've been hiding for months," she said.
"Moving whenever we felt eyes on us."
Kael felt the weight of that life.
The constant running.
The Seer added softly,
"That fear keeps you alive for a time.
But it also keeps you alone."
Silence followed.
Then the man asked the question they had been avoiding.
"What do you want from us?"
Lira didn't answer right away.
She chose her words carefully.
"Nothing you don't choose," she said.
"We're not building an army."
The woman frowned.
"Then what?"
Lira looked at Kael.
He felt her thought and agreed.
"We're building contact," Lira said.
"Warning. Support. A way to know you're not the only ones out there."
The woman's shoulders loosened slightly.
"So if the Empire comes…"
"You won't face it blind," Lira replied.
"And you won't face it alone."
The fire cracked softly.
The man lowered his head.
"That would've saved us… months ago."
Kael felt something shift—not fully, but enough.
Trust.
The Seer watched with quiet approval.
"This is how it starts," he said.
"No banners. No commands."
Lira smiled faintly.
"Just listening."
Above them, the stars broke through the clouds.
Clear.
Sharp.
Lira felt the bond stretch—not strain.
Reach.
Somewhere else, another bond stirred.
Another pair, feeling less alone for reasons they couldn't name.
Kael sensed it too.
It's working.
Lira leaned closer to him.
"This is what scares the heir," she whispered.
"Not power."
Kael agreed.
Connection.
The fire burned on.
And in the dark between camps and cities
Threads were quietly tightening.
One by one.
Into something that would not break easily.