Two hours before the scheduled time the residence was already sealed and quiet. Trevor stood at the front door in full restored gear. The seven women assembled behind him without a verbal call. The network carried the readiness pulse cleanly. Every presence was sharp. Every essence reserve sat at full. Every mark still burned with residual saturation from the long claim that had prepared them for the Ice Forge.
They left under the city's pre-dawn wards. Standard formation held even on the open street. Rhea and Lisa ahead. Vespera and Seraphine on the flanks. Mia and Caroline close to Trevor. Elena at the rear. The walk to the Silver Guild complex took twenty-one minutes. The streets were nearly empty. Only a few other provisional units moved in the same direction, most of them looking tired or tense.
