I grit my teeth and force myself to focus. To think. The soldier’s alert, but he’s not wound up like he’s expecting an attack. Most likely, he’s just a scout. This man has no idea what’s above him—we don’t let scouts return to camp after seeing us in the trees.

Nearby, the girl readies her sling. The man only wears a light cap—no helmet. If the girl is as good with the sling as she is a grappler, I’ve no doubt she can make the kill. Still, I catch her eye and signal her to stop. Her eyes narrow, but I’m her elder, and she obeys.

I draw an arrow and take aim. The string feels tighter than I remember and digs into my fingers now that my calluses are gone, but the movement stays with me. Draw the string, breathe out, hold, release. The arrow buries itself in the soldier’s throat, and he sinks to the ground without a sound. I slide down to the forest floor, scanning for his comrades. The empty woods stare back at me.

The girl reaches the body at the same time I do. “Good shot,” she says, but there’s bitterness in her voice. She thinks I wanted the glory for myself.

I check the soldier’s pulse—nothing. As I pull my arm back, my hand brushes against the imperial seal on his tunic.

I’m on the mainland with Gatha’s other top soldiers, trying to steal records from Khaygal outpost. Gatha’s created a diversion a quarter league away, and now I’m in the commander’s study, digging through tablets for a code key or translated message. I’m looking at one slate with a cryptic list of troop movements when my lookout whistles. I bite back a curse and scan the tablet one more time, trying to commit what I can to memory. Then my lookout whistles again. I put everything back in its place and jump out the window.

“Intruder! Stop him!” someone shouts before my feet even touch the ground. I don’t look to see who’s spotted me—just take off at a dead run. An arrow whistles by my ear and another grazes my arm. Then pain explodes on the back of my thigh. I tumble head over heels, the arrow digging itself deeper with every somersault.

As I lie stunned, Amparans close in around me. Someone shouts that they want me captured alive, and that kicks me into action. I fumble for my dagger. Useless against these numbers, but quite effective on myself. I can’t let them take me.

I look up to see an Amparan guard raising a club. A scream builds in my lungs.