The Oasis of Grain was changing around them.
Alistair noticed it first in the settlements. Merchants who had been cautious about supplying Sun Harvest were now cautious about being seen not supplying them.
Two settlement leaders who had declined Frument's invitation to coordinate trade routes sent revised responses within the same week.
Following that, a patrol of independent soldiers stopped at Sun Harvest's territory edge.
They were unaffiliated, the kind of people who moved between factions, selling their services.
They asked to speak to whoever was in charge, and they offered their swords for a price that was significantly lower than market rate.
Alistair declined the soldiers, since he didn't need mercenaries. However, their arrival said something about how the region was reading the situation.
That evening, Due sat at the table with the latest dispatch reports and a cup of tea that had gone cold an hour ago.
