The buried road led beneath a hill covered in gray moss, where the grass circle ended at a flat ridge untouched by the shifting weather.
Ferra crouched beside the ridge with her instrument case open and brushed moss from a copper line buried beneath the soil.
She said, "This isn't a door, because the metal continues under the hill and carries three pulses toward one underground chamber."
Hajin stood behind her and asked, "A station, or another road marker that only looks like one?"
Ferra tapped the copper and answered, "A custodian shelter, or what remains of one, and the road around it was serviced rather than claimed."
The Watcher lowered her head toward the moss and said, "Living custodians rested beneath hills like this, where the surface hid them from distant commands."
Ash studied the ridge and asked, "Did they sleep here, or did they stay awake while guarding the road?"
