The purge left the wasteland noticeably thinner.Entire sections that had been crowded only an hour earlier now had gaps running through them, with several camps already being dismantled as the people Kai had expelled gathered their belongings and prepared to leave. Some went quietly, too frightened to risk attracting his attention again, while others carried the bitter expressions of people who still believed their punishment had been unfair but possessed enough sense to keep those thoughts inside their heads. The dead were removed quickly, the wounded treated, and what remained of the alliance slowly reorganized itself around those who had chosen to stay loyal when it mattered.Emily watched all of it from the edge of the gathering.Kai stood nearby with his hands behind his back, looking almost bored now that the internal problem had finally been dealt with. Abigail was speaking with Elder Harkan a short distance away, while Vivienne stood farther off with several people from the d