They moved as a unit for the first time at dawn.
Alistair took point. Due walked two paces behind him and to the left – close enough to speak without raising his voice, far enough that his obligation threads wouldn't tangle with the Equalizer's scan.
Elara moved on the right flank.
The canvas pack was balanced across her shoulders in a way that suggested she'd carried weight before and knew exactly how to distribute it.
Silas was ahead of all of them.
Not visibly. He had gone forward thirty minutes before the rest of them left the base.
By the time they crossed the territory's eastern boundary, the only evidence of his presence was a stone placed at the base of a dead tree – flat side up.
Due had learned the signal system overnight and Alistair found it slightly unnerving.
Due's capacity to absorb information when motivated had always been considerable, but the speed with which he had decoded Silas's wordless communication was something else entirely.
