Dawn arrived cloaked in a fine, misting rain that blurred the edges of the world. It suited my mood. The memory of Darius’s howl was a ghost that had haunted the few hours of sleep I’d managed, a bittersweet lullaby of rebellion that left me both unsettled and fiercely determined.
The patrol gathered in the main courtyard, a dozen warriors clad in oiled leathers and grim expressions. I stood among them, feeling like a sapling in a forest of ancient oaks. My own leathers were new, stiff and unforgiving. In my hand, I clutched a standard-issue short sword. It felt alien and clumsy compared to the familiar weight of my own power.
The patrol leader was a grizzled veteran named Borin, a man with a face like cracked leather and eyes that had seen too many winters. He gave me a curt nod, his ga
