Seliza came back from the southern staging camp before noon with six riders and three engineers. The gray man walked beside her carriage as if the road had been built for his feet.
Marrick saw the silver serpent banner from the registry steps and made a sound that belonged in Vella's clinic.
"She left the town yesterday," he whispered, clutching the new contract folder to his chest, "rich people are supposed to stay gone after they finish frightening the poor."
"Her wagons left," Hajin said, shifting Ash higher on his hip as the boy tried to bite the contract folder, "she only went as far as the road camp."
Juna stood beside the gate with her arms folded, ears angled toward the riders while Loccy leaned on her hammer near the mine path. Vella had dragged Hans onto the steps in a chair, partly because he wanted to see the caravan return, mostly because she did not trust him near stairs.
