Emily's POV
I found him alone in the eastern yard at the hour before the morning drills.
He was not training. He was standing at the far end of the yard near the stone wall. His back to the keep, his arms crossed, looking at nothing in particular. Or looking at something internal, which amounted to the same thing. The frost had not fully lifted from the cobblestones. His breath misted in the cold air. He had been standing there long enough that the cold had settled into his shoulders. I could see the tension in them.
He heard me before I reached him. Of course, he did.
Without turning around, he said, "I wondered when you would come."
"Three days," I spoke. "You have been avoiding the training sessions."
"I told Liam I had business in Shadowcrest that required my presen
