Months later:

The first snow of December fell in thick sheets that erased the wagon tracks between the upper keep and the river valley. Within three days, the high pass was blocked by a six-foot wall of white, and the long timber-frames of the keep’s roofs groaned under the sudden, icy weight. The valley had settled into its deep winter sleep, the bustling granaries of the Down Pack locked tight for the season and the southern trade routes quiet until the spring thaw.

Nila sat at her cedar desk in her shared quarters with Kaelen, the room warm and bright under the steady, golden light of three tallow lamps. The...