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memory of Gabe bundled in quilts by the fire, his hair damp against his feverish forehead and his mouth moving as he mumbled deliriously. My throat squeezed at the thought of him, and I shifted restlessly on the window seat.
    When shivers overtook me from the cold and my own loneliness, I returned to my bed and huddled under the quilts until dawn.
     
    ~
     
    By the next mandatory Assembly, my thoughts were still in turmoil. Dark clouds clotted the horizon and plunged the Frost into a state of near-twilight as I ran on the paths, my every sense attuned to the sounds of the forest. Nothing except a few bluewings stirred in the trees, and I reached the Cage out of breath but unscathed as always.
    Ann waited for me by the gate. A thin line of red traced her cheek, the mark accentuated by her pale skin.
    I frowned at the mark. “What happened to your face?”
    “Oh, it’s nothing,” she stammered, brushing her fingers over the place. But it smudged red. I grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward the sun so I could see better.
    “You’re bleeding .”
    “It’s nothing.” She pulled free and smoothed her dress. Her expression was carefully guarded. “Just a little rock, that’s all.”
    A ROCK? My pulse hammered, and my fingers curled into fists. I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Did one of the soldiers—?”
    “It wasn’t a Farther,” she interrupted.
    I snapped my gaze to the street. I saw a few sullen-looking children skulking around one of the shops, but none of them held stones. They wouldn’t meet my eyes.
    “Who, then?”
    She shook her head. “Let’s just go. Please. We’ll be late.”
    I let it drop because she was right, we were going to be late, but I wasn’t done with the topic. I hooked my arm in hers and together we hurried for the Assembly Hall.
    Villagers streamed through the carved blue doors to the hall, their faces haggard and their bodies bundled in cloaks the colors of snow and frost. We slipped through the crowd without speaking and into the building. The air had already grown hot inside, and the room buzzed with low, urgent voices. Everything smelled faintly of sweat and damp wool. We took seats at the back.
    A knot of soldiers strode past, and the presence of one man in particular made everyone shiver and turn their faces away as he limped past.
    Officer Raine, the Farther officer in charge of the occupation.
    His iron-gray cloak swept the floor behind him, and the decorations on the chest of his uniform glittered in the pale sunlight as he strode through the crowd. His uniform strained across the front of his chest, and the gloves on his hands were dirty. His left leg was weak from an old injury, and he lurched with every step he took.
    Outwardly he looked benign, almost sad.
    But the glint in his eyes made shudders run over my skin like a thousand tiny spiders.
    Officer Raine’s gaze raked over the villagers as if looking for signs of dissent. He reminded me of a cat hungrily eyeing a nest of mice. His lip curled, and he snapped his fingers for the soldiers to flank him.
    I stared at the floor until he’d moved on.
    After Raine had taken his place beside the dais, the Mayor entered. Farther soldiers followed at his back, hanging back a little to make it look as though they were guarding instead of escorting him. But I knew the truth. He was their prisoner, and he dared not defy them. His skin looked almost gray, and deep shadows ringed his eyes.
    Beside me, Ann inhaled sharply and squeezed my hand at his appearance. “He seems unwell,” she whispered.
    One of the soldiers turned his head and looked at us, his eyes finding her face in that brief heartbeat of a moment, and she shrank against me. I sat up straighter and put my arm around her. I didn’t flinch as I met his gaze.
    He moved on. I pressed my lips together in an effort to keep my expression neutral as I turned my face to the front of the room.
    The Mayor stepped onto the platform and motioned for silence. The