The village gathered in the square on the first day of summer.
William stood at the center, his face calm, his hands empty. Beside him stood Anna, her blue eyes watching the crowd. Across from them stood Vesper, her white eyes dim, her body thin from weeks of healing. She wore simple clothes—no armor, no weapons, no mask.
The villagers had come to judge her.
"She killed our people," Torvin called out. "She hunted us. Erased our names. Destroyed our families. She deserves to die."
"She was following orders," Kaelen argued. "The Council gave the orders. She was just a tool."
"Tools can choose to stop."
"Did she?"
William raised his hand for silence.
"Vesper is not on trial for what she did. She is on trial for what she will do."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Vesper served the
