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“No, she would be proud. How could she not be? You have been through so much, yet still you did the right thing by standing up for those slaves.”

Wren sniffled. “How can—how canyouwork with the rebellion, knowing what thatmonsterdoes? How can you stand aside?”

“In truth, I didn’t know we were working with Idril until the day you yourself were told,” Leif admitted, clearly unhappy. “After you left the tent, I protested against it. It’s why Bram and Vienne kept me separated from you.”

“Why? What were they worried you would do?”

“Follow you instead of them,” Leif said, as if it were obvious. But nothing was obvious to Wren anymore, not even having a friend who trusted her. He scratched his nose a little self-consciously. “Ever wasn’t the only one who was a slave, remember. I don’t want to work with Lord Idril. Bram doesn’t either—he rallied against Vienne she first suggested working with Idril—but he won’t go against her orders. They’re bonded.”

Wren held up a hand in disbelief. “Hold on.Bramdoesn’t want to work with Idril either?”

“He was also a slave. Most of the rebellion are former slaves. I thought you’d worked that out by now.”

“So thenwhyis everyone all right with working with…with—”

“Because all they can see now is the ends justifying the means,” Leif said softly, squeezing Wren’s hands. “You cannot blame them. If the only way to end slavery in Verlanti is to put up with evil people for a few days or weeks or months, then they’ll do what needs to be done. A monster’s gold is still valuable.”

“But I can’t…” Wren shook her head in despair. “I can’t do that, Leif. There were children in there.Children.Barely older than Britta.”

Leif frowned. “Who’s Britta?”

It occurred to Wren then that not once had she mentioned her sister to Leif. She hadn’t mentioned her toanyone. To protect Britta, herself, and the Dragon Isles. But she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She couldn’t do everything alone, and Leif had proven that she could trust him.

She sidled closer to Leif, who instinctively tilted his ear toward Wren’s mouth. “I have a sister,” she whispered. “A little sister.”

Leif’s eyes widened. “Is she—?”

“She’s safe. She’s the only reason I didn’t fly off with Trove when he saved me in the forest.”

“Hold on, when didthathappen?”

“When I spoke to Arrik. He saved me.”

Silence. Then, all at once, Leif erupted into laughter. Wren didn’t know what was so funny, but the sound was infectious. After all the crying she’d done, it feltrightto laugh, so she did.

“Your aunt was right to keep me away from you,” Leif said, wiping away tears of mirth. “For how could Inotfollow you? I am humbled that you have trusted me.”

“I am humbled by your friendship.”

Leif pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We are bonded. Today, I claim you as kin.”

“As kin?” she repeated.

Her friend smiled. “Aye. As I have no family, I must make my own. I claim you as my sister from this day forward.”

Wren swallowed past the lump in her throat. She’d missed having a family so much. “I’ve never had a brother.”

“Now you do.” Leif clapped his hands together. “So, what are we doing, mad sister of the dragons?”

Wren thought about it, though in truth she knew what she had to do. She had to fulfill the rebellion’sactualmission of freeing slaves, before her own people became the faces she saw being forced to serve the evil nobles of Verlanti.

Starting with the very ones trapped inside Lord Idril’s castle.

“We free Clara and the slaves,” she said, nodding toward the door. “Running won’t solve anything. We need to play to our strengths. Can you help me free them without anyone knowing we did it?”

Leif gave her a conspiratorial grin. “Doing something beneath people’s noses is my specialty.”

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