4 years later

  "Commander Meng? You asked for me?"

  "Sit down, Jun."

  Sitting sounds like a prelude to dying, but my body ignores my mental unwillingness and obeys. My nerves have been on edge since I heard that the crown prince had arrived at the fort. Some minor offense got him sent here for the summer to 'reflect'.

  We came here in the spring, to support the fortress and guard the White Mountain pass. Four years without any real exercise made the regular soldiers lazy and discipline lacking, and Commander Meng worried enough to bring in some of his more talented scout squads, including mine (I'm alright).

  As a result, I've been twitching where he can see me.

  "I'm going to ask a question, you're going to answer, and then we will never speak of it again."

  "Okay."

  "When?"

  If I didn't already know about the war that's coming, if his expression wasn't so dark, if the crown prince wasn't in this fort where he is destined to die... But I still say, "Sir?" because in four years, I've trained myself not to spoil future events.

  "I won't ask any other questions."

  How much of the world will change?

  As I see it, the only thing different from last time is that I am here, and Mimi is alive. Song Zhilan moved her to the same town he moved me to before, and the same tutors are tutoring her. If I went back today, it would be the same as before, except that Mimi would still be there. After this war breaks out, she will be moved to the capital and no one will ever know the difference.

  "Four years ago, you said the northerners would be in mourning. I checked every source I have--their prince's illness wasn't known to anyone. My sources started hearing a whisper after a fortnight, and barely a month later it was even gossiped in the streets. Obviously, it was intentionally hidden and deliberately revealed."

  Sitting under Commander Meng's intense gaze has to be my least favorite part of being a scout. We only met him a few times a year, but even that was too much. Running and riding I have enjoyed, and fighting I have gotten used to, but secret-keeping is not a strength of mine.

  Commander Meng flips through a journal. "Two years ago you pushed your captain to conserve extra rice and vegetables, and even commissioned extra supplies from the south. When the roads were destroyed and the transport companions rioted, your squadron made a small fortune selling to the border towns."

  That was all Song Zhiyuan's fault. He complained about the missed opportunity until my ears bled. I couldn't bear to hear about it again. "It was a miscalculation, and we sold our extra supplies at fair prices."

  He ignores my practiced explanation. "Last year you wanted winter armor when everyone knows northerners never raid in winter. And for the first time in this decade-long war, they attacked on the coldest day of the year."

  Also Zhiyuan's fault. His obnoxious stories of how he fought off fifteen raiders while encumbered by a thick fox fur coat were how he convinced General Wang that he was worthy of marrying into that treacherous family.. "There weren't even that many," I can't help muttering under my breath.

  "I won't even mention the last few months."

  After the winter raids, everyone in the north was watching the border. Marketplace gossip was all about the prices of different goods and the likelihood of a full war. Temple prayers went up for each village that was burned, and collections went out to help the refugees. I was just far enough away that the Song family stayed unconcerned, but too close to be ignorant of each battle fought.

  Not wanting to be called crazy does not extend to being silent about the death toll. Song Zhiyuan considered my predictions lucky, and he had just enough importance to influence the rotations of scout squads so that each village had protection at precisely the right time.

  "Obviously, you have a source. I'm not asking for details, I'm not asking for names. I'm not questioning your loyalty, I cannot. I'm only asking for a small advantage, like preparing against avalanches." He taps his journal.

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  That was just me, keeping a record of unusual weather when I was stuck inside with no Mimi to make life interesting. "That was luck."

  He laughs, unamused. "That was luck. If you have any suggestions.."

  The raids ceased at the start of summer. It was too hot and too humid, and we watched the northern roads uneasily. But the news didn't come right away, I remember. When I was brought back to the capital, I only knew that the fort at White Mountain pass no longer held, no longer protected us. Later, I learned more about it. Later, the details were published in capital newspapers, and talked about on street corners.

  The crown prince died and the fort fell, and northern soldiers marched south in two paths--along the coast, and along the main road. Both forces destroyed smaller towns and conquered bigger cities before they met our armies, led by General Xie and the third prince. General Wang also rallied his troops and attacked from behind, so that he and the third prince were able to defeat half the northern army before turning to the coast. Originally, the third prince met his future fiancé then--one of my future murderesses.

  "Hua--"

  "Summer solstice is a good day to be sober." The northerners have sent a delegation to discuss peace, and they promised to sign a treaty that day.

  "Okay. You can go." He closes his eyes, but I doubt it helps with his headache.

  I hesitate at the door. Even months later, the details remained vague. How did the northerners overtake the fort? How did they, so quickly and so efficiently, move so many soldiers into our territory? Having seen the fortifications here, having seen the size and skill of our army, it only makes sense if there is a traitor.

  I think it's General Wang, but that might be personal prejudice. "Morale would be low if the first to die were someone important." I leave quickly to avoid responsibility for whatever chaos I have created.

  It catches up to me the next day when a dozen scouts are given costumes to wear and taught a sword dance for the midsummer festival. Worse, several of the men somehow look more graceful and more beautiful than any of the women.

  "How come you don't have to?" Beautiful Bai asks Shun, apparently not worried that she might break his beautiful face. She ignores him, twirling in the small room with a sword like she would if we were outside and leaving the rest of us to keep out of the way.

  Xiao Zhang doesn't have to either, which is a shame since he already knows how to do a sword dance. Min has grown into his features--now he looks like a handsome farmer. He will probably move to the regular army soon--I see how his gaze lingers on their rosters and watches them train. As regular army, he could go home more often, build a normal life for himself, and only put on his uniform when duty calls.

  If he lives. If any of us live.

  "Why are they making you dress up and dance?"

  "So they look harmless while carrying weapons," Captain Song either knows something or has noticed something-uneasiness has been spreading around the fort. It doesn't help that the shadow scouts stay masked, making the regular soldiers uneasy. The possibility that spies could be among us, their faces hidden and identities unknown, is a source of stress for everyone.

  But the worst is our guests. Camping in tents, politely, outside our fortress walls, a hundred northern soldiers cheerfully roast meat and drink mead and generally act like they are not sitting at their enemy's gates. They are friendly, offering their food, telling jokes over the moat, and the regular soldiers grow more and more relaxed day by day.

  Among the scouts, we ask each other--have you seen them? Do you know them? We are the ones that infiltrate northern camps to count their numbers and observe their skills. We are the ones who have fought with them these last six months, defending poor villages in twilight hours. We know their faces.

  But no one knows these soldiers. Not one scout has recognized a single one of them--but we see how they sit. We see how they move, we see their grace and power in simple gestures. These are their best fighters, no doubt. Not the flashy ones, not the brutish ones, but the ones who enter a tavern and leave it again, never a scream but no one left alive. These are their version of scouts. And they are the ones who will come into the courtyard as diplomats for the summer solstice festival, and will assassinate a prince instead of signing a treaty.

  For the dance we will be disguised as a regular circus troop, not soldiers or scouts. Apparently, civilians with weapons are still considered harmless. Thus, the ten of us selected have to sneak out of the fort a week before the summer solstice. Commander Meng has us replace a real circus troupe in the next town to the south, and the day before the festival we ride in with other supplies for all to see us.

  "It is worse," Bai observes. The atmosphere has gone from tensely peaceful to relaxed, even lazy. The moat is down and the gate open, though northern soldiers do not wander in as ours wander out. Their camp is decorated with lanterns and paper sculptures, and the air is thick with fragrant spices.

  "I almost expect to see a fortune-teller--" but then I do see one, with a costume even more elaborate than ours. "When do we perform?"

  "We can start now," another scout, going by the name Tan, winks. "Earn some festival silver."

  Keeping occupied keeps my nerves steady also, so I join her to perform some tricks while the others set up our tent. She breathes fire and I juggle cleavers painted to look fake. Every fifth throw I drop one, and she makes a show of chastising me while I hang my head. The show attracts as much attention as our regular performance, and gives two other scouts opportunity to watch the audience.

  "Think we can earn enough to holiday on the coast?" they ask each other. We agreed on our codes in advance, so I know that Luo's hesitant agreement is bad news for all of us. It says that the northerners may have enough force here to be planning hostilities, but not enough to suspect it of them. It says that my warning may not be taken seriously enough. It says that tomorrow, anything could happen.

  But I know what will happen.

  So much for safety..

  spoilers.