She brought the confirmation to Satou in the early morning, before the construction crews had started, before Morgana had moved from the room she'd taken adjacent to Freda's workspace.
He read it.
Felt the weight of it.
Not triumph — the weight of something that couldn't be undone. Which was what they'd wanted.
"When does Caldris receive word," he said.
"His network in the regional council will report it within forty-eight hours," Senna said. "Possibly faster. He has good intelligence infrastructure."
"So he knows by tomorrow," Satou said.
"Yes."
He put the document down.
'Aldric did this,' he thought. 'Not reluctantly. Not as the specific cost of an alliance he'd decided was necessary. He did this because he believed it.'
He thought about the two men at the memorial field, the evening candles burning low. What we're building between Aldenmere and this settlement isn't just about the next five months.
He'd meant it.
