Walls of Stone and Trust,part,5,

The first caravan failed to arrive.That was when Narala realized the Incense Road was truly failing.It had happened before, but in smaller ways—delays, missing camels, scattered reports of bandits in faraway valleys.But this time, there was no delay, no broken messenger, no fragmented truth brought by a weary rider.There was only silence.Then another caravan missed.Then another.By the fourth day, the Council of Wells no longer spoke of coincidence.Harith stood over the central map table as red marks spread across the western routes.Each mark represented a convoy that had not arrived, each one once carrying resin more valuable than gold, each one protected by seasoned escorts who had survived desert wars long before Narala was born.Kassim walked behind him."This is not disruption anymore," he said."This is removal." Malik, seated slowly in the corner, lifted his eyes."Or replacement." Kassim turned sharply."Replacement with what?" The scholar didn't answer immediately.His fingers rested on the edge of the table as if