---
The carriage rolled away from the western road and back toward the city, carrying with it more tension than its wheels ought to have been able to bear.
For the first little stretch of the journey, no one spoke.
That was not because there was nothing to say.
It was because too much had just happened, and every person inside the carriage was still arranging those events into some shape their thoughts could hold without splitting.
Kess sat with the driver as ordered.
Inside, Elena sat near one side, her posture as composed as ever, though her eyes had gone sharper rather than softer since they left Mihos's camp. The three rank-three maids sat in their usual disciplined positions, but their silence had become a charged silence rather than a calm one. Bat Bat, who under ordinary circumstances would have filled the carriage with questions before the first wheel turn, had somehow managed to stay quiet for nearly an entire minute.
That was impressive.
Also temporary.
