The messenger arrived at dawn, riding a black horse with eyes like burning coals.
William saw him from the roof of his house—a figure wrapped in shadow, his cloak billowing in the wind even though the air was still. There was something wrong about him. Something that made William's skin prickle.
He climbed down and walked to the gate.
The messenger dismounted. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but his voice was clear, cold, precise.
"I bring word from the Shadow Council," he said. "They have watched you for years. They have seen what you've built. They are impressed."
William was silent.
"They wish to offer you a deal. Join them. Become one of them. And they will spare your village."
William studied the messenger's face. "And if I refuse?"
"Then they will destroy everything you l
