Yan and Wei rode toward Dusk Ridge with the assault team. A separate cart train turned west carrying supplies for the evacuation route. Bai gave the driver the bridge keeper’s last report and warned him to stop if the marker flags changed.
“The cart goes to the mill road if Han raises blue,” Bai said. “White means it turns back.”
The driver repeated the signals and pointed to the paper tied beside the reins. A courier carrying Yan’s message rode behind the cart, prepared to use the ordinary road if the Soul-Lantern relay failed.
Yan kept looking to the scouts. “How far to the fortress?”
“Four miles to the foothills,” one replied. “The aqueduct approach is another mile beyond that.”
Wei said, “The aqueduct needs daylight. We have to see the ward cycle before we move in.”
Yan enjoyed the pace and the prospect of a direct fight. He did not urge the horses into a gallop that might strand the team. The assault party stayed together, with scouts ahead and the shield carriers in the middle.
Before they left sight of the tollhouse, Qinghe sent a note with the supply cart. It said she had stabilized the most critical patients and left a medic at the bridge road. Yan read the message while his horse walked beside the cart.
