The vote to open the passage was not unanimous.
The council reader recorded the objections before reading the decision. Two members feared that Rook’s agents would learn the route by following people who could not defend themselves. Another wanted the surface checkpoint confirmed by an additional local scout before any movement. The decision allowed a temporary evacuation opening under local control, with guards at both ends and scouts directing passage. Coordinates would not be published by the surface team without permission.
Sera repeated the closure authority back to the council. A local scout could stop movement for a changed risk or unsafe route condition. A surface hunter’s desire to make another crossing would not overrule that stop. Anyone at either end could report a danger; the designated local authority would decide the route’s state and communicate it.
“We need a signal that reaches both ends,” the older member said.
They agreed on a visible signal for ordinary closing and a separate warning. Sera tested the sight line with the scouts while the council reader added a runner fallback. The arrangement was new. Saying the words around a table did not mean every tired guard at the gate had learned their difference.
