Braizen sits up and drapes an arm over a bent knee. “More stories of terror, I guess,” he says quietly.

It takes a while, but I can finally hear the soft rustle of leaves dance in the wind and not my anxious thoughts. I pull myself up. Braizen isn’t asleep, as his silence led me to believe. He’s still surveying the perimeter.

“Thank you for saving me,” I whisper, embarrassment stinging my cheeks.

He looks bewildered, then his glance softens. He sends me a silent nod.

I take a deep breath before I speak. “I know you only did it because I’m your prisoner, and you need me for whatever reason. But still, it was a nice thing to do.”

The soft glance disappears, and he releases a sharp laugh, one absent of any humor.

“I didn’t save you because you’re my prisoner. I saved you because…” He runs his hand through his curls and seems to weigh what to say next. “Well, you saved my team. I was only repaying the favor. That’s what nasty, peon bandits do.”

Of course, he only did what was right. I bob my head in acknowledgment. Though it’s hard to believe a Baellilean would know what right means. A long moment of silence drags on, and I catch him looking at me.

“I’m sorry about your mother, Idalia,” he says carefully.

I search his expression for any signs of malice but only see his endearing blue eyes and somber face. His words are genuine; I can tell as much. A thud goes off in my chest, and I’m suddenly too nervous to look at him, so I turn away and smile before speaking.

“Call me Sparrow.”

From a sidelong glance I see a handsome smile score his face. My heart beats even faster.

“Okay, Little Sparrow,” he says, playing with a loose string on his boot. “Can I ask you something personal?”

I don’t know if it’s the cool wind or embarrassment that now causes my cheeks to burn, but I nod before I can decide against it.

Braizen swallows and gives me an uneasy glance. “What happened to you that night after you left Nerwick, after the curse?”

I inhale and tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. This certainly isn’t what I expected. I gather my thoughts, then plunge ahead.

“It’s really all a blur,” I say coolly. “I remember being in the Hall, and my father stopping me from…” My eyelids flicker. “From doing something disastrous,” I finish. “We left without returning to our chambers. Without any of our belongings. I remember him yelling at me to get in the carriage. So many things were happening at once, and I couldn’t understand any of them. I think I was too young to comprehend what had happened, to cope with such overwhelming feelings.”