The road to the old marker stone ran straight under a clear sky. Monitors stayed flat the entire way out. Aiden kept the pace steady, not rushed. Four of them rode with a light escort of six temple guards in plain gear.
The northern representative—Marta Vey—sat her horse between Selene and Kaelara, a sealed crate of seed stock and three tool chests lashed to the pack animals behind them.
The marker stone stood where the outer wards thinned into open ground. Weathered granite, waist-high, carved with the old boundary marks that no longer meant much.
No trees close enough for cover on their side. Low brush and uneven stone on the far slope. Kaelara had called it acceptable for a short exchange. Aiden had agreed.
They dismounted twenty paces short. Two guards took the horses. The rest formed a loose arc. Marta stepped forward with Selene. Aiden stayed a half-step behind and to the left. Kaelara moved to the right edge of the stone, eyes already working the ground.
