Robert made the decision before they had even finished walking back to the caravan.
They would not follow the flower trail at night. Whatever left it behind had shown no urgency, no aggression, and nothing that demanded an immediate response. Running through a strange forest at night, with barely any grasp of what they were up against, was a choice driven more by impatience than by careful thought.
Lena noticed the change in them the moment they returned to the fire. She studied Robert's face for a moment, then Sai's, and then said nothing about it. She had already learned enough about this group to understand that some silences were not meant to be filled with questions.
Long after the camp had settled into sleep, Robert sat apart from the others and went through everything they had gathered.
