Page 139 of Iron Beneath the Snow

“Yes.”

“They’ll rotate again before dusk.”

“You’re expecting movement sooner.”

“They’re adjusting,” he said. “So are we.”

“You changed it after the council. You didn’t wait.”

“There was no reason to.”

He began to move almost as he spoke, his attention already turning toward what followed.

“I’ll review the reports before midday,” he added.

“I’ll have counter-terms drafted.”

A brief note of approval passed through his expression.

“Good.”

He continued down the corridor.

Eira remained where she was for a moment.

Nothing in the exchange had been unusual. That was precisely what made her notice it.

He had given her exactly what the conversation required.

Nothing beyond it.

She resumed walking.

He had work to do.

So did she.

By the time Eira reached the lower courtyard, the air had already shifted into motion, the quiet order of the corridors giving way to the sharper rhythm of training. Steel met steel in controlled repetition, boots struck packed earth in measured patterns, and voices carried across the open space without rising above what was necessary to correct or command.

She did not come looking for him.

And yet she was not surprised to find him there.

Soren stood among the fighters rather than apart from them, moving through the line of sparring pairs with quiet precision, observing more than speaking, stepping in only when something required adjustment.

A young guard faltered in his stance, his balance shifting too far forward as he followed through on a strike. Soren closed the distance without hesitation, one hand catching the man’s forearm before the motion completed, the other settling briefly at his shoulder to correct the angle.

“Hold your weight here,” he said.

The guard nodded, resetting under his direction, and Soren stepped back once the correction was complete.

Eira watched for a moment longer before stepping forward. One of the weapons trainers handed her a short blade without comment, and she took her place opposite another fighter.

The first movements came easily, her body following the pattern without resistance.

She was aware of Soren without looking.

“Your weight shifts too early.”