POV: Lyra

The scouts returned at midnight.

I was sitting by the fire outside my tent when I heard the horses. I stood and walked to the edge of the camp, watching them ride in. Three wolves on horseback, with dust on their faces and urgency in their eyes. They dismounted, bowed, and handed me a scroll.

I opened it and read it.

The stronghold was built into the side of a mountain. It had high walls and a single gate and watchtowers on every corner. The Shadow Pack had fortified it over generations, and it was considered impenetrable.

But there was a weakness.

A narrow path that wound through...