The banner does not move with the wind.
It hangs there at the far edge of the valley like a wound that refuses to
bleed.
Black cloth. Pale symbol. The Null carved into its center like an
accusation.
Aurora stands at the ridge, rain-damp hair clinging to her neck, Mark
flickering faintly beneath her ribs. The valley behind her is waking, slow,
unaware, ordinary.
For a moment, she allows herself to breathe.
This is not a raid.
This is not smoke in the air or a trap in a mill.
This is a statement.
Kade comes to stand beside her without speaking. He sees it immediately.
His jaw tightens.
"They're not hiding anymore," he says quietly.
"No," Aurora replies. "They want us to look at them."
The bond hums, steady, aware.
"Do we gather?" Ilyra calls from below.
Aurora doesn't take her eyes off the banner.
"Yes," she says. "But no panic."
The valley stirs.
Wolves move with quiet precision. Children are ushered into the inner
