The first day after parole, they only whispered.

I never saw Aldric, not even at his farewell.

On the second day, they stopped pretending.

By the third one, they didn't even bother to lower their voices anymore.

Probation meant restricted movement. It meant I was assigned to the lower training rooms instead of the open yards. It meant I walked alone.

It meant he was easy prey.

Life without Aldric.

I told myself I could handle it.

I had endured worse.

I had survived a razed village. I had surviv