Henry's pov
I woke before dawn again, the grey light of early morning barely silvering the tops of the pines. My muscles ached from yesterday’s patrol, and my jaw was stiff from clenched worry. I swung my legs over the side of the bunk in my tent, every sense already alert to the world outside. There was a tension in the air, like the moment before a storm breaks and I knew we had to act fast.
I dressed in my leather jerkin and trousers, fastening my sword belt with deliberate calm. I could hear the soft breathing of the guards on duty, and beyond them, the distant murmur of the camp coming to life. I slipped outside into the courtyard, cold dawn wind chasing the last embers of sleep from my mind.
A pair of young scouts huddled by the eastern gate, maps spread between them. They looked
