Marcus did not answer Lord Cedric immediately.
The three black marks on the map held his attention far more than the noble sitting across from him. Each location lay well beyond the known reach of the Verdant Dominion, separated from the western forest by farmland, settled roads, and villages that saw regular traffic. If the Dominion had begun operating this far east, then its behavior had changed almost overnight. Marcus found that unlikely. Durok had ordered caution, Black Fang had reinforced its prisoner pens, and the drone feeds showed no large groups moving toward human territory.
That did not mean the incidents were unrelated.
It only meant the obvious explanation was probably wrong.
