A ripple moves through the room. Not surprise. Just tension tightening.
“I confronted three near the trailhead,” I continue. “They didn’t deny it.”
Magnus nods once. “Of course they didn’t.”
“They’re not hiding anymore,” I add. “Not really. They’re letting us see them.”
“Because they want us unsettled,” Delilah says.
“Yes.”
“And it’s working,” Brooke mutters.
Magnus leans forward, resting his hands on the table.
“Then we stop reacting,” he says. “And start controlling the board.”
Silence falls. Focused. Intent.
“Additional patrols,” he continues. “Double coverage inside and outside town.”
“Already in motion,” Conrad says.
“Good.”
Magnus’s gaze shifts to me.
“You’ll coordinate.”
Not a suggestion. A directive. I nod once.
“Understood.”
“You know the terrain better than anyone,” he adds. “You lead the response.”
The weight of that settles in immediately. Not unfamiliar. But heavier now. Because this isn’t just about defending borders anymore. This is about protecting everything inside them.
“Evacuation plans?” Brooke asks.
Magnus’s expression tightens slightly.
“We prepare them,” he says. “Quietly.”
A few heads turn at that.
“Civilians first,” he continues. “Anyone who can’t defend themselves gets moved to safer ground if this escalates.”
“When,” Conrad corrects.
Magnus nods once.
“When.”
The word lands heavy. Because we all know?—
That’s the truth. There is noifanymore.
The meeting stretches longer than usual. Strategies. Assignments. Contingencies layered on top of contingencies. We map out patrol routes. Adjust timing. Close gaps. Every decision made with the understanding that one mistake?—