The moment came three hours before dawn.
Gabriel felt it more than saw it. A gap in the patrol pattern, a brief window where the northern perimeter would be vulnerable. The guard change was happening on the eastern side, drawing attention and resources in that direction. The northeastern blind spot would be unwatched for thirty seconds, maybe forty if they were lucky.
He turned to wake Tess and froze.
Someone was standing at the edge of their camp.
A woman. Slender, with dark clothing that seemed to drink in the moonlight, absorbing it rather than reflecting it. Her face was obscured by shadow. Not natural shadow, but something that clung to her features like a veil, shifting and moving even when she stood still.
Gabriel's hand moved to his sword, his body tensing for combat.
"Don't." Her voice was soft, almost amused, like she was sharing a private joke. "If I wanted you dead, little lamb, you'd have been dead long before you climbed that mountain."
