The group that left for the northeast territory on Thursday morning was larger than Marina had originally planned.

Marina, Silvain, Luna, Sera, Lyra, Cian, Sable.

Vael herself.

This surprised Marina. In three visits to the eastern community she had not seen Vael leave the immediate territory. She moved through the community with the settled quality of someone who had decided her place was here and had been honoring that decision for a long time.

When Marina arrived at the departure point and found Vael standing with a traveling pack, she did not ask immediately. She read Vael's face and understood that an explanation was coming and that asking would interrupt...