When Lucien and the others returned, no one wasted time pretending things were normal.
No one knew where the inevitable meeting would occur. No one could name the exact day.
Divination could circle around it, sense its gravity, feel the convergence of pressure... but not pin it down cleanly enough to make certainty useful.
That meant there was only one correct response.
Prepare now.
Shadow left almost immediately after their return.
Before he went, he said only, "We'll accelerate what we can. If we can't stop the meeting, then we'll at least make sure the board is better when it happens."
Lucien understood what that meant.
More cure. More allies. More stability. More pressure on the Exchange before the world tilted again.
He gave Shadow a single nod.
That was enough.
The women who had gone with him were much quieter than before. The usual rhythm between them had changed.
No one was panicking.
But all of them were thinking.
Thinking hard.
