They did not leave after the third night.
Korr found another short contract on the board the next morning—escort duty for a dwarf ore caravan moving along the lower gorge road to the eastern loading docks. Two days out, one day back if the weather held.
Pay was modest but steady, and the city still had open rooms. Venn agreed without discussion. Ressa said nothing against it. Aiden considered the open road once more, then nodded. A few more days changed nothing essential.
They left at first light with the caravan. Six heavy carts loaded with raw ore, iron-bound wheels, and a dozen dwarf drivers who spoke little and trusted less.
The lower gorge road clung to the rock face in long, steep grades. Wind came constant off the drop, cold and dry, carrying the smell of stone dust and distant water. No ambushes waited. No cliff-drakes.
