They left the camp at dawn.
Not because they were pushed out
but because staying too long was dangerous.
The bonded pair stood at the edge of their camp as Kael, Lira, and the Seer prepared to move on.
The woman spoke first.
"We'll stay two more days," she said.
"Then we head west."
Lira nodded.
"If you feel pressure—real pressure—move again," she said.
"We'll find a way to pass word."
The man hesitated, then reached into his pouch and pulled out a small carved stone.
"Signal marker," he said.
"Old trick. Leave it where others like us might pass."
Lira accepted it carefully.
"This matters," she said.
He nodded once.
They parted without ceremony.
The road ahead bent toward dry plains and scattered ruins.
As they walked, Lira felt something different now.
Not just awareness.
Direction.
"Kael… I think I can feel where others are," she said slowly.
"Not exact places. Just… leaning."
He felt it too.
Like tension in the bond, his intent replied. Pulled toward certain points.
The Seer listened carefully.
"That's new," he said.
"And important."
By midday, they reached the edge of an old trade road long abandoned.
Broken carts.
Faded stones.
Lira stopped suddenly.
"Here," she said.
Kael felt it—stronger now.
Another presence.
Fearful.
Hidden.
They followed the feeling off the road and into a shallow ravine.
Two figures crouched behind a fallen slab.
Younger than the first pair.
Exhausted.
When they saw Kael and Lira, panic flared.
"Don't come closer!" the boy shouted.
Lira raised her hands slowly.
"We're not here to hurt you."
The girl beside him shook, clutching his arm.
Kael let calm move through the bond again.
Not forced.
Shared.
The panic slowed.
The Seer spoke gently.
"You're not being hunted at this moment," he said.
"But you believe you are."
The boy swallowed.
"They always find us."
Lira stepped closer—just one step.
"Not always," she said.
"And not alone."
The girl looked up.
"How do you know?"
Lira met her eyes.
"Because we stopped running."
The words settled.
Fear didn't vanish.
But it loosened its grip.
Kael felt the second thread take hold.
Fragile.
But real.
Behind them, the plains stretched wide and empty.
Ahead, more hidden bonds waited
silent, scattered, hoping without knowing why.
And far away
The heir felt another pull.
Stronger than the first.
Annoying.
Persistent.
Something that refused to disappear.
He did not smile this time.
Because the network was no longer a thought.
It was forming.
And soon
It would be impossible to ignore.