THE FALSE LUNAThe training from this morning had left me sore, but it was a good kind of pain. It made me feel like I was finally taking up space in this world, instead of just hiding in the shadows of it. I sat by the small fire outside my tent, trying to sew a small tear in my sleeve. My hands were still a bit shaky, but I was focused.

The camp was usually humming with the sound of sharpening steel and low talk, but then the tone changed. It wasn't the sound of an attack—there were no ...