The wielder led them east for two days.
He moved through the disputed territory like he'd done it a hundred times. No consulting landmarks, no pausing at intersections.
He turned when the path turned, and stopped when the ground said to stop.
Due walked beside him for most of the first day, asking questions without asking questions.
Due had a way of extracting information through implication rather than interrogation, without ever actually asking anything direct.
By midday, Alistair had learned that the wielder had maintained a section of Caldren's network for five years before understanding what he was maintaining, and that the process of understanding had taken another two years beyond that.
The time between understanding and acting had been the longest period of his life.
"The anchor operates from a settlement called Greathearth," said the wielder. They were resting in the shade of a rock formation that jutted from the landscape like a broken tooth.
