THE CODED ORDERSThe midnight air was biting. I had my cloak wrapped tight around my shoulders, the wool scratching against my neck. I was supposed to be heading toward the back gate to meet Kael, but I had forgotten my satchel of dried herbs in the small pantry near the kitchens.

The camp was mostly quiet. The only sounds were the crackle of dying watch-fires and the distant, rhythmic coughs of sick men in the tents. It was a lonely sound.

I moved through the shadows of the stone corridor, ...