Thardwin stood at the edge of the village square, watching the strangers dismount their horses. Three of them, all wearing the same dark leather and carrying the same cruel confidence. They weren't here to talk. He'd spent weeks protecting these people, trying to buy them time to just exist in peace, and now Madness Everthorn's enforcers had come inside the walls. He broke into a run toward the old watch tower at the village's northern edge. His boots pounded against the dirt path as he climbed the stone base, then pulled himself up the wooden ladder. At the top, he pressed against the railing and scanned the square below. The enforcers were splitting up, moving between houses with purpose. One of them stopped at the carpenter's door and knocked hard. Thardwin's chest tightened. If they finished their sweep and left, they'd report back to Madness with everything she needed to know. He had to move now, before they gathered again at their horses. He turned and descended the ladder, the plan forming as his feet hit each rung. Thardwin jogged past the abandoned stone building with its towering spires, the old castle nobody lived in anymore. The enforcers had tied their horses there in the shadow of its walls. Smart. It kept them hidden from most of the village. He stopped behind the corner and watched the nearest enforcer step out of a doorway, nodding to himself like he'd found what he needed. Thardwin pulled a small glass vial from his coat and whispered three words over it. The liquid inside turned bright yellow. He threw it at the horses' feet. It shattered and released a thick cloud of smoke that spooked all three animals into bolting. The enforcers shouted and ran after them. Thardwin stepped into the square. They weren't leaving yet. But the third enforcer hadn't chased the horses. He stood in the middle of the square, waiting. His cloak hung open, showing the bone-white badge pinned to his chest. A tiny skeleton carved from ivory. Madness's mark. The man smiled and pulled a rolled parchment from his belt. He dropped it on the ground between them. "Third warning," he said. "We know how many you're hiding. We know what they did before they came here." Thardwin's hand moved to the silver ring on his finger, the one that held his strongest spell. The enforcer saw it and laughed. "Go ahead, wizard. Make it easier for her." He turned and walked toward his horse, which had stopped near the well. Thardwin picked up the parchment and unrolled it. Names. Twenty-three of them. People in the village. The enforcers had come for information, and they'd gotten it. Now Madness knew exactly who to take.