I awake to a sharp pain in my side. Rulf has kicked me, and he follows it up with a growl. Once my eyes are open, he hisses, "Get up!" and drags me to my feet. I grab my sword and pull it out, not sure what else to do. Rulf and Mic run around waking everyone else up, and when the others see me with my sword drawn, they imitate me.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Someone's nearby," Rulf hisses. "I can hear a change in the forest."

We move into a tight circle with our backs to the embers of the fire. Rulf points off to the north, and we all turn to face that direction. Mic grabs his crossbow and loads a bolt.

I can't hear anything out of the ordinary, but Rulf keeps twisting his head to the left and right as if he's trying to pick up sounds that only he can hear. A few moments later, he hisses, "Get down!"

We all crouch, and to the north I see movement in the early dawn light. I manage to drop a little lower, although I'm not sure who it could be or why they're a threat to us. The movement takes shape, and I see at least a dozen men. They're all armed with swords and either bows or crossbows. None of them wear a uniform. They're dressed as regular people, albeit in chainmail armor.

We watch as they move slowly through the forest toward the east. Their heads move back and forth as if they're searching for someone, and I get the feeling they're after us. I see movement on either side of me, and Ellcia, Hemot, and Marleet come up beside me.

"Who are they?" Hemot whispers.

I shake my head. "No idea, but I think we don't want to meet them."

I really don't know for sure that they're a threat, but since we had to rush out of the city and then were pursued by Captain Tilbur, I'm left with the impression that there are a lot of people who are not our friends.

Just as the men are about to disappear out of sight, the one in the lead turns around to glance back. My heart feels like it stops in my chest. I've seen that man before. It's the man to whom the Regent said, "I want them all dead!"

The thought that had been growing in the back of my mind... the one that I didn't want to consider... the thought that the Regent might actually be the enemy comes fully into my head. Rulf suggested such a thing already, but I had outright rejected the idea. The Regent has not only been good to me over the years, but he was the one to stop the rebellion. If he had arrived only minutes earlier, he would have saved the King's life. He's the good guy.

And yet, I think he wants us dead.

Once the twelve men are out of sight, Rulf whispers, "Time to pack up."

We start putting everything back into our packs when I ask, "How did you know people were coming?"

"The sounds in the forest changed. There were fewer birds singing in that direction, and I saw a rabbit run out of that area. And... the crickets."

"Crickets?"

"They weren't chirping as loud in that area of the forest."

"You heard the crickets in one area of the forest stop chirping as loud and figured people were coming?" I ask, absolutely bewildered.

He looks at me as he finishes up his packing. "I hate crickets."

I'm not entirely sure that answers my question, but I accept it. At some point, I hope to have all my questions answered clearly, but I don't think today is the day.

Once we're all ready for the day's hike, we set out. Rulf has obviously been up for a while as he's collected two rabbits and a squirrel from his snares and has already skinned and cooked them. He passes out some of the meat as we move through the forest.

Rulf takes us directly north, instead of northeast, as we had been traveling. We cross where the twelve men had walked through the forest and continue north until the sun is well up in the sky. In time, we come to the main road that leads east and west from the city through to Switcher Pass and on to the Talic Region. It's a busy road with plenty of travelers, but we rush across during a moment when there's no one in sight and continue on our way north.

On the other side of the road, Rulf relaxes a bit. Now and then, Mic says, "Talk more. Talk more," and I can see Rulf is trying to make an effort to communicate with us. He doesn't appear to like doing it, though.

"I think we're now far enough away from the men we saw to slow down a bit," he explains. "We'll travel northeast for a little bit and then head east into Switcher Pass."

"Who were those men?" Ellcia asks.

"Assassins," Rulf says.

We walk on in silence for a few steps. I don't want to ask the question, but at first no one else speaks up. Finally, when the silence is killing me, Hemot asks, "Do you have any more of that rabbit?"

"Hemot!" I hiss. "Seriously? Don't you think there's a more important issue right now than food?"

"I'm kind of hungry still," Marleet says.

We stop and pull out some more of the rabbit and squirrel. I'm not a big fan of the squirrel meat, but there isn't much of it anyway.

As we eat, I decide to ask the question no one else seems to want to ask. "Why are assassins chasing us?"

Rulf looks at me with confusion. I see that look from him a lot. I don't think it's because he doesn't understand. I think he's just always surprised when I don't. "Why are the assassins chasing us, Caric? Because they're trying to kill us."

I try not to roll my eyes as I grit my teeth and shake my head. "Yeah, I know that. I gathered that from the fact that they are assassins. I mean, why are they trying to kill us?"

"Didn't you hear the Regent? He said he wants us dead."

I did hear that, but I am still struggling to come to grips with it. "What does that mean?" I ask, but then add, "Wait, I know that means he wants us dead! I mean, why does he want us dead?"

Rulf grunts. "It's not just us. He wants all the Vanguards dead."

My mouth drops open as Rulf stands, preparing to leave. Mic joins him, but the rest of us remain seated.

"Can you tell us why he wants us all dead?" Ellcia asks.

"Because he doesn't want the Prince to take the throne," Rulf replied.

Without intending to, I laugh. It's an absolutely absurd thought, but I see the others aren't laughing. The truth is, I know it's not an absurd thought. I just don't like it.

"Let's move," Rulf orders.

This time, we all jump up and throw on our packs. We head out again and move toward Switcher Pass, slowly moving away from the road.

Marleet is the first to break the silence. She seems to be doing better now with the traveling than she had been at first. "Why is it called Switcher Pass?"

There's a cheerful tone to her voice, and I see she just wants some friendly conversation. I glance back at her, and she smiles sweetly at me. It makes me feel good inside. Marleet has a way of picking up the mood. I'm glad she's with us. I hope she can find some joy in this conversation.

"It's named after a man they called the Switcher," Rulf says.

"What did he do to have a pass named after him?" she asks as she looks all around. She doesn't seem to be all that interested in the conversation, but she seems happy to chat.

"He killed somewhere near a hundred people. Just one at a time, but he killed them. Some while they were traveling alone through this area. Some while they were in their homes. Some even in public settings. All killed with a barbed knife called a switcher. It was..."

"Thank you, Rulf," Marleet says quickly. "I don't need to hear any more of this. I'm fine with only knowing that it's called Switcher Pass."

Rulf looks confused, but he accepts it. He continues in silence until we stop for a mid-afternoon rest.

After a short break, we get back on the move, but Rulf warns us that we have to be more careful over the next while. "We're coming up on the entrance to the pass. The cliffs come in close here, and we'll move within sight of the road. Once in the pass, we can head a little farther north and get away from any travelers."

Through the trees, I see the cliffs. They're huge, and I understand why no one passes over them. The cliffs are like a high wall, forming a barrier on either side and they lead right into the pass. We move quietly through the area and try to stay out of sight of the travelers on the road. Once through the large, natural entrance, we veer off to the north again and move farther from the road.

After about an hour of traveling through the forest, Rulf puts his hand up. I'm not sure what it means, but I come to a halt. When the others see me stop, they stop too, and judging from Rulf's lack of anger, I figure we did the right thing.

I step up next to him and ask, "What's wrong? Crickets again?"

"No," he said, missing any sarcasm in my voice. "The crickets are fine. Look over there."

I looked in the direction he's looking and shake my head. "I see trees."

"Not the trees. Look at the branches on that bush."

"Ahh, yes," I say in a formal voice. "The branches. The branches are always the things I look for first whilst on a forest walk." Rulf doesn't respond, so I add, "I really have no idea what's wrong with the branches."

"Some are broken, and some of the plants are leaning to the side. Someone has moved through this area recently. They were at a run."

I don't know how he figured any of that out, but I follow him as he creeps forward. The others trail behind, and we slowly follow the invisible path left by whoever might have gone through the area.

When we come across them, Marleet screams. I've never seen dead bodies before. I've heard of people dying, but no one I was ever close to has actually died, aside from my parents, of course, but I had been so young that I barely remember them. Rulf creeps through, and Hemot and I follow.

Rulf checks each of the men until he finds what he's looking for. The second last man he checks has something of interest. Rulf holds it up for me to see. It's traveling papers signed by Captain Tilbur.

This was one of the Vanguards.

Whoever killed them had moved fast. I try to figure out what I can, and from what I can see, they had mostly been killed by arrows. Every man has at least one tiny hole pierced through his armor—their attackers used crossbows. There's little doubt in my mind. The assassins we saw earlier found this Vanguard.

I spin around, searching the forest with my eyes. I'm terrified that I might see one of the men taking aim at Ellcia, or Hemot, or Marleet. If they're out there, it could be over in seconds. I might survive the first attack since I'm wearing this enchanted armor, but the men would quickly catch me and pierce me with an arrow or sword in a place where the armor doesn't cover. The only one who might make it out alive would be Mic. His armor could cause them to look away or lose interest.

There's no movement in the forest, but I can't quite calm myself down. I feel Ellcia step up next to me, and without thinking, I put my arm around her. She doesn't pull away. I'm not sure if I'm doing this to comfort her or me.

"We have to keep moving. Take what you can, and let's go," Rulf orders.

Mic sets to work right away, going through their packs. He seems to ignore just about anything except money and food. I'm disgusted by the thought of robbing the dead, but I know the food might be exactly what we need to survive. If I die, I'd rather my supplies go toward keeping others alive. Somehow, that thought feels like I'm justifying something horrible.

We scramble around and take the food and money. I try not to look at their faces. At one point, I bump into Marleet. Her face is drained of all color, and tears stream down her cheeks. I know her well enough to know that she's not struggling as much with the taking of the food, but just the fact that the men are dead.

When we finish, we move on, but Rulf has us stay low. I find the effort involved in trying to crouch and move with my pack is far greater than normal walking.

We move farther north and reach the edge of the cliff-face, then follow it along to the east. Ten minutes later, I want to scream. Nothing feels right. Everything from the height of the cliffs, the forest filled with trees and bugs, the dead men, the snares and freshly cooked rabbit, the armor, the weapons, the idea that the Regent wants us dead... none of it feels real or right or...

I'm at a loss. I don't know how to take it all.

Rulf calls a halt and sits down on a rock. I decide I want to take charge of something. I want to understand. I'm just so frustrated.

I stand before Rulf and blurt out, "How did you know about the secret passageway?"

Rulf doesn't answer at first. Instead, he just sits there and stares at me. A moment later, he pulls out an apple he found on one of the dead men and bites into it.

I start to feel a little silly. Everyone is staring at me. I realize not only am I asking that question with far more intensity than the question itself calls for, but it seems out of place. I would think I'd be asking any number of questions before that one.

When Rulf finally answers, he simply says, "Grew up in the castle."

I hear someone step up beside me, and I glance over to see Ellcia. She looks just as confused as I feel. On the other side of me, Hemot and Marleet appear. Hemot is partway through what appears to be half a cooked chicken. I'm assuming he found that on the men we just looted.

"But, why aren't you there now? You couldn't have been more than four or five when the rebellion happened. I thought you were younger than me, and I was six."

"I'm two years younger than you, Caric."

Rulf didn't answer my question, and I decide I want to push it. "Why aren't you there now? Or... why weren't you there until we set out to find the Prince?"

"I wanted to be with Mic. He needed me."

I want to ask why, but then I feel like it'll sound like I can't imagine anyone would want to leave the castle to be with someone like Mic. Instead, I just try to push a little more. "We were all kids in the castle when the rebellion happened, and they kept us on. We were given the jobs our parents had."

Rulf growls and stands to his feet. I see Mic off to the side. At the mention of all of us doing our parent's jobs, his head shoots up, and he stares at me in shock.

Rulf takes a step toward me and brandishes the apple at me like it's a weapon. "None of your parents were servants in the castle! None of them cleaned the walls or swept the floors!"

"I take care of curtains!" Hemot says with a smile. The piece of chicken stuck to his chin only adds to the absurdity of his statement.

Rulf growls at Hemot, but then turns back to his rock. He sits down again and attacks the apple like he's angry with it. In another couple mouthfuls, it's gone—core and all.

"You knew our parents?" Ellcia asks.

"I knew all your parents!"

I try to make sense of that. "But... you were only five."

"I was."

I can see he's getting that look in his eye that says the conversation is just about done. I desperately try to plow forward, hoping to get some clarity. I'm not sure I've ever felt so curious in my life. I know nothing about my parents, other than they were servants in the castle. My few memories of them are vague and confusing. I think my dad must have been the head steward, because everyone around him listened to him and did what he said. I think my mom must have been one of the most important servants because she was so well respected by the other women and always wore beautiful dresses. But something about my memories no longer make complete sense to me.

"How do you remember all this?"

Mic speaks up at that point. "Never forgets. Never forgets."

Rulf growls at him but nods his head. "I'm not like other kids. I never forget anything. I was always ahead of the rest of you."

"The rest of us?" Marleet says. "Did we spend time together?"

"We were friends," Rulf growls. "The six of us played together all the time. I used to read you stories."

I laugh at that, but no one else does. "You read us stories?"

"I was reading before I was two years old. Mic's right. I never forget. I can remember each and every story. I can remember everything I've ever read or studied. I remember everything that's ever happened to me. Ever."

"And you said you knew our parents?" Marleet asks.

"Yes. I knew all your parents. My dad served your dad," Rulf says, pointing at me.

"Doing what?" I ask.

Rulf ignores the question and says, "Your name isn't even Caric."

My mouth drops open. All questions just fade from my mind. All I can think of right now is how confused I am. What could he possibly mean?

"Is my name actually Ellcia?" I hear from beside me.

That question pulls me back. As silly as it seems to me, I realize that troubles me more than finding out my own name isn't really Caric. I had always thought her name was beautiful. I don't want her to lose it.

"Yes," Rulf says. "The rest of you have your actual names. My name isn't Rulf, though, not really, and Mic's name's not Mic."

Mic jumps to his feet at that and comes up to Rulf. He punches him in the arm and says, "Private! Private!"

Rulf growls back at Mic, but Mic stands his ground. After a few moments, Rulf says, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said all that." He turns back to us and says, "You all have to keep this to yourselves. Mic doesn't like me talking about him."

"Can you talk about us some more?" Marleet asks.

"Yeah," I say. "We don't know anything about ourselves, other than what we've been told. And I think we've been told a lot of lies. If our parents weren't servants, what were they?"

"Don't any of you remember?" Rulf asks, pulling out what appears to be the other half of the chicken that Hemot had been working on.

We all shake our heads. I see Marleet step up next to Hemot, and she takes his arm, but she backs away with a disgusted look on her face when she sees how aggressively he's going at his half of the chicken.

"Why did someone change my name? And if our parents weren't servants, what were they? And how can you remember everything?" I ask, then add, "And how were you reading at two years of age?"

"Before two. I'm really smart."

I shake my head. I know he's smart, but then he always seems kind of dumb as well.

Hemot laughs and says, "Really? How smart?"

Rulf growls and storms off. I realize we got a lot more out of him this time, but now we have even more questions. My mind drifts back to Hob's comments about me. He referred to me as royalty and to Ellcia as "Lady Ellcia."

I should have realized it when I found out about the assassins, but it's just hit me. It's not just that we're one of the Vanguard. Everything's changed now. The Regent is not the man I thought he was—that's for sure. But the big thing is... we won't be going back to the castle unless the Prince is found. And perhaps not even then.