THE NIGHT BEFOREThe camp was quieter than usual. There were no victory songs, no loud boasts from the warriors, and no sounds of sharpening blades. Most of that had been done days ago. Now, there was just the crackle of small fires and the low hum of families saying things they should have said years ago.

Esmeralda sat on a fallen log near the edge of the clearing. She looked at her hands. They were calloused now, stained with the dirt of the training field. She felt older than she was.

"You're ...