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Fox sensed her mood and didn’t speak as he began to gather wood for the fire, setting it in the cleared out space she’d made with perfect precision. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling. She knew he’d become defensive if she pointed out that he’d been learning over the past week.

They ate their dinner in front of the fire, the warmth suffusing them, even as the temperature dropped. It was well into the cold season and Sofia could almost catch glimpses of her breath in the air when she stepped too far from the fire.

“Do you think the Dereyans are working with the dragons?” Fox’s voice held a tone of uncertainty that she hadn’t ever heard before.

“I can’t imagine why or how,” she said, hands opened wide in her lap, as if trying to grasp an explanation. “Your people don’t even believe the dragons are alive. They’re the reason most of them are dead and the rest are in hiding. What could convince the dragons to follow any Dereyan orders?”

Fox’s eyebrows furrowed and his eyes darkened as if the shadows had been pulled across his face. “I don’t know, but we both saw what we saw back there.”

“The dragons were above human politics. They didn’t take orders from humans, only responding to prayers and the blood offerings when they wanted. Even then, the history books talk about the dragon gods turning their back to the wrong types of prayer or selfish requests from their most devoted followers. It doesn’t make any sense. These aren’t the gods that I’ve read about—that I spent cycles studying. No dragon would…”

Sofia stopped short when she saw the small tick of Fox’s smile barely curling his lips. He was laughing at her. She snapped her mouth shut.

“I didn’t mean to make you stop,” he said, his voice more genuine than she expected.

“I was rambling. I get too much sometimes, I know.”

“You’re not too much,” he said, face serious. “You’re passionate. It’s…nice. You shouldn’t have to dim your light for others.”

Her cheeks heated, unsure of the compliment.

“My brother used to go off on rants, too. It was the one trait my father hated in him.” His smile dropped as if remembering something. “But it’s a good thing to be passionate about things.”

“Tell that to the rest of the resistance,” she said, letting the bitterness slip between her teeth.

“I’m not sure they’d care about my opinions.”

“We’ll be at the base by tomorrow mid-morning.” His expression didn’t change at her words; he blinked.

“I assumed.”

“If you want to run…you should do so now.”

“I thought I was your prisoner. Aren’t you going to knock me out in my sleep and tie me up?”

“With how thick your skull is, I don’t think I have the strength to knock you unconscious.”

He smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” And then he frowned. “What will your people do if you show back up after a week without me?”

She shrugged, stomach sick with all of the things she could think of. “I don’t think it much matters, at this point. They were about to kick me out for insubordination anyway. I have no job, no home, and no place in the resistance. Maybe I’ll walk off into the rainforest and start my own tribe.”

“Your friends won’t defend you?”

“They’ll be glad to see I’m not dead.” Sofia said. “Even Micael will have to admit that, but it won’t change his choice. My impulsivity got in the way one too many times. I’m not always great at following orders or asking for help.”

Fox snorted and she saw his silent agreement plain on his face.

“What happened to you wanting me to be passionate and not dim my light?” she asked.

“Oh, that’s not a passion problem. You can care about something and still know how to ask for help.”

She grumbled to herself, even knowing she couldn’t argue with his logic.

“If I go back with you, will they still kill me?” he asked, voice just above a whisper. “Even if I try to bargain with this Micael guy?”

She picked at the skin on her fingers and didn’t answer immediately. She was trying to justify an answer she knew she couldn’t give him. She wouldn’t lie.

“Probably,” she said eventually. “If the chief commander followed through with his threats, the rest of the prisoners will be dead by now. You’re too much of a risk with your connections to your father and Chief Commander Harlow. They’ll get any information they can out of you and then they’ll silence you.”