The murder didn't alter the carriage's timetable. By lunchtime of the third day of travel, the trio could leave the ride and venture inside the forest around the Three Peaks.
A hot afternoon began to descend once Liam, Maxwell, and Joel reached the Sect's entrance, but the nice weather lost any relevance before the scene that unfolded in their eyes.
The Sect looked to be in a suppressed uproar. Crowds of disciples occupied the upper paths toward the Outer Hall, and more heads peeked from further above, covering the mountain's peak with incessant murmuring.
That wasn't even the end. Elders stood among that widespread crowd, occupying spots no one dared to invade, looking down at the Sect's entrance, their heavier, more piercing gazes standing out from that general attention.
Liam saw Elder June, the Apothecary Elder, and Elder Lewis standing sparsely across the paths above. Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Elder was right at the Sect's base, directly in front of the returning trio.
