They reached the boundary households an hour before the first Imperial scouts.
That turned out to be enough time to matter.
It did not feel like enough time for anything else.
Ashe took command almost immediately.
The scattered households were too exposed where they stood, so she pulled them inward toward Kest's stretch of boundary, where the land narrowed between two low rises before opening toward the settlement proper. It was the closest thing the outer line had to a chokepoint.
People moved because she told them to move.
No speeches. No reassurance. Just clear instructions delivered fast enough that panic never found room to organize itself.
"Children and injured behind the second rise. Anyone who can carry water, bring it there. Anyone who can fight, stay where Mara marks you."
Mara already had the ground mapped.
