Hajin walked down from the basin on his own legs while the broken valley smoked behind him. The splint brace held his shoulder, and he catalogued every cost aloud so the breakthrough would not read as a blackout.
"Six Rings closed, five points unassigned, no mana restored, one shoulder failed, one decree still open." He repeated the list at each switchback, and Aria confirmed each line without correction.
Ferra walked beside him with the fragment pouch while Rumi carried Loccy on a stretched hide. Vella stayed within arm's reach the whole descent, watching his color more than the trail.
The team made camp at the tree line, where a watch fire beat back the mountain cold. Didi arrived within the hour at the head of the first relief column from the capital.
She had ridden the ordinary road through the sealed passes as soon as the ledgers allowed. She said nothing about the distance, and she took the first watch without asking.
