It's been a few days since the battle at Shrewsbury, and the "graveborn" has been spotted on the battlefield. The narrator tells us that he's not sure what's going on, but he does know that it's an old man with a grudge against the emperor. He's also sure that the old man has been transformed by his obsession with the emperor, and that's why he can't stand the sight of the "old man" anymore. The old man says that he saw a lightbearer meet with a bunch of other soldiers, and one of the soldiers' granaries went up in flames. He thinks that this is a sign that something's up with the graveborn, and he suggests that they're planning to attack the lightbearer camp on the other side of the border.