Sable entered the quarry drain beside Hajin while Juna and Elise climbed toward the watcher above the kiln terrace. A man's voice ordered him forward, followed by the scrape of feet near the kiln entrance.
One Ring formed around Hajin's wrist as he held the chain against his leg.
They reached the descent as Toma appeared between two mercenaries, one holding his arm behind his back.
Blood covered Toma's temple, and one shoulder hung lower than the other. The second man carried a torch near an oil line running from the kiln entrance toward the northern grain shed.
"Stop there," the man holding Toma said, pressing a knife beneath his jaw, "drop the chain, then call the women off the ledge."
Hajin let the links touch the ground without releasing them, watching the torch instead of the knife.
"The grain cord is cut," he said, moving one step into the terrace, "your watcher has nothing left to burn."
