Timeline: TC1853.01.25 (Night)
Location: Forest Camp, Western Road
The campfire painted faces in amber and shadow.
Raven sat at the edge of firelight, watching embers spiral upward into darkness thick with stars. The forest had grown quiet after sunset—no more resonant humming, no animals moving through undergrowth with unnatural coordination. Just normal night sounds: wind through leaves, distant owl calls, the crackle of burning wood that smelled of pine and ancient ironwood.
They'd made camp an hour past dusk, finding a clearing large enough for the wagons and defensible enough to satisfy Commander Thorne's tactical requirements. Spiritual barriers had been erected—simple formations that would alert them to approaching threats without advertising their position to everything within ten miles. Watch rotation established, supplies distributed, weapons within easy reach.
