They moved under full dark.
No fire the night before. No unnecessary talking. No last-minute changes once the plan had settled.
The plan itself was simple enough to explain in less than a minute.
Ashe still made all six of them repeat it back to her.
Once each.
Not because she thought anyone had forgotten.
Because Kest had taught her something ugly and useful: the plan you remembered while sitting safely in the dark was not always the plan your body remembered when someone started shouting.
So Ashe listened to every version.
Corrected two details.
Made Nyx repeat his once because he skipped the retreat point.
Then she nodded.
They moved.
Ashe went first.
Not because she was the strongest.
Not because she expected to fight.
Because she was leading.
Vane noticed the difference even if nobody said anything about it.
A season ago, Ashe would have treated those things as the same responsibility. First into danger. First to hit. First to make the opening.
