The night air is heavy with mist when my father knocks on the door.
I’m still half-asleep, curled on the couch with a blanket pulled over me. My body aches from training, but I push myself up when I see him standing in the doorway. Tall, dark coat, face shadowed. Two guards wait behind him like always.
“Get dressed.” He says. “We’re leaving.”
I rub my eyes. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“The Moon is full. We train under its light.”
There’s no point arguing with dad. There never is. So I grab my boots and follow him outside. The air bites cold against my skin. My brothers don’t stir as we leave…or maybe they do, but none of them try to stop him.
We walk in silence for a long time. The path leads deep into the forest, farther than I’ve ever gone. The trees grow older here…thick and k
