Valen and Doran returned six days later, exhausted, filthy, and carrying more questions than answers.
The council gathered quickly once word spread, the longhouse filling with the same tense anticipation that had marked every report since the scout's first mention of a turning sky.
"The valley's real," Valen said, still catching his breath. "Bigger than we imagined. They've cleared an entire basin — tents, supply lines, guard towers being raised even as we watched. Whatever's coming, they're building for something they expect to need real infrastructure to sustain."
"How many?" Thran asked.
"Hard to say precisely. Hundreds of soldiers stationed there already, more arriving daily." Doran's expression was grim. "It's not a war camp preparing to march. It's something meant to last, at least for a while."
"And the captives?" Lira asked quietly.
