Perimeter Beacon

The path went dark fast, so I ducked toward the base of a weathered wooden garden post. Right in the hollow where the wood met the stone, someone had left an empty, clean glass tea-light cup. I tapped the thick rim with my gauntlet—solid, heavy, and completely windproof. I pulled that faint green luminescent bead from my utility pouch and dropped it right into the center of the glass dish. The thick glass walls immediately caught the green glow, refracting it outward into a soft, steady lantern ring along the mossy flagstones. I sat back against the wooden post, heels propped up, watching the shadows keep their distance.