"Two forward columns," Vesha said, once we'd retreated far enough from the gate that Threll's unblinking patience wasn't sitting directly behind my shoulder. "Sighted at first light, crossing the border markers near Duskfen and the old salt road south of it. Light cavalry, no banners raised, moving fast and quiet. Our watch thinks they're not the main host — too small, too disciplined for that — but they're inside our territory four full days ahead of the mobilization date on that scroll from the Archbishop's seal."
"Scouting in force," Zereth said, already unrolling the map across the war table with the flat, economical motion of a man who'd rehearsed this exact gesture in his sleep. "Or securing ground the main host will need later. Either way, someone in that command decided ten days was a suggestion, not a promise."
"Baldric," Selena said, the name coming out of her like something spat rather than spoken.
