I found his room empty at the sixth hour.
The bed hadn’t been slept in. Sheets pulled back on one side only. The lamp on the table had been extinguished recently enough that I could still smell the wick.
On the table: a single piece of paper.
Wait for me.
His handwriting—large, sparse, each letter given exactly the space it needed.
My wolf rose fast. He left without telling us.
Tonight is the Keepers' meeting.
He left a note. He’s coming back.
I went back to my room to wait.
Victor came at the seventh hour. Pine and tobacco arrived first. He had already been informed. His people moved faster than sound when something was off.
“He went north,” Victor said. “Gate log had him leaving at the third hour. Two horses, full kit. One of his scouts—Corner—went with him.”
“North
