Lexel picked up a pebble without breaking stride and flicked it off toward the treeline near the gate.
The clatter it made against stone was small, almost nothing — but small was all it needed to be.
"Hey, what's that noise?"
Two of the guards straightened at the sound, hands drifting to their spears before curiosity won out over discipline. They peeled off toward the treeline, boots crunching through the thin layer of snow banked along the wall, muttering something about foxes or thieves or both.
Lexel moved the moment their backs turned.
