As afternoon approached, they prepared for the first outward journey. Jude met Grace, Laurel, Stella, Lucy, and two travelers, Garin the fisher, Leri the herbalist. They carried a small brazier, spiral ribbons, stones, flat cakes, jars of cave‑water. Watchers lit their path through forest, arcs flickering overhead marking the way until they reached a glade beside a creek overgrown with ferns.