Word spread through the Sunken Belfry before Mireva reached the meeting hall. Nobody rang a bell to announce the delegation's return. The upper resonance network remained silent, so the Sairren carried the news physically through couriers crossing bridges in pairs and wardens passing the message through verified checkpoints.
Families emerged from workshops, temporary sleeping areas, and crowded shelters as the same information reached them through multiple verified messenger chains.
Forest Hidden had offered temporary refuge.
Thirty-six places.
By the time Martin entered the meeting hall, almost every open section of floor had been taken. Some Sairren stood along the walls, while others occupied stairs, railings, and raised ledges that would have made terrible seating for humans but seemed perfectly normal for people with wings.
