Aurora's POV
The first sign wasn't defiance.
It was the efficiency.
I noticed it in the way reports arrived already summarized, decisions already footnoted with rationale I hadn't asked for. Not disrespectful.
Not dismissive. Thoughtful, even. As if they were trying to be helpful.
As if I were busy.
As if my attention were a resource to be conserved.
I stood at the long table in the eastern war room, fingers resting lightly on the edge of a map that had been redrawn twice without my instruction. The ink was still fresh. The borders were cleaner now.
Straighter. Less… debatable.
Someone had simplified things.
That alone would have once triggered the mountain's displeasure.
Deephowl hated simplification. It thrived on tension, on the slow friction between forces that refused to resolve cleanly.
Now?
The mountain was quiet.
Not silent. Not withdrawn.
Just… accommodating.
I pressed my thumb into the parchment until it creased.
"They rerouted patrols," I said aloud.
