Chapter One

The Best Laid Plans

The camp was quiet save for the crackling of a single fire and the occasional shift of the logs falling into the embers. There was no wind on the cloudless night and the branches stayed still, offering no noise to be distracted by. Even the insects that usually clicked and buzzed seemed tired because they made not a single sound.

The unusual quiet is what prompted Ioku to get out of his bed. His contingent of rebels had spent. . .