Before she could think of something to say in reply, Raurie suggested they take a break. They gathered around the same table where Aina had seen Ynes sit hundreds of times, blankets drawn around her, prayers muttered under her breath.

To distract herself from those thoughts, Aina reached for the newspaper at the edge of the table. The headline read: “General Alsane Bautix’s Betrayal.” It didn’t list the details of all Bautix’s crimes, but it covered his murder of the late Hirai mine owners and their eldest son. It also mentioned Ryuu and how he’d been a key part of the effort to stop the attack on the visiting princess and to catch Bautix in his corruption.

A few minutes later, Ryuu brought over cups of tea for them. Reaching for one, Aina placed the paper back on the table.

“Are your aunt and uncle headed to your new apartment yet?” she asked Raurie.

Raurie shook her head. “I spoke to them this morning before I left. They’ll go there later, but all the older Inosen wanted to have a meeting about how we’re going to move forward after what happened with Bautix. Some of the prisoners you broke out last night were recaptured, but most escaped. Some went to the safe houses and told their stories. They were arrested for praying, or having relics of the Mothers, or speaking in the holy language. With Bautix’s crimes exposed now, it’s the perfect time to question all his other actions. The Inosen think we should present a case to the Sentinel to decriminalize our religion and free anyone imprisoned for it.”

“I’m sure they will,” Ryuu spoke up. “The Sentinel is really grateful for what we did last night.”

Aina grimaced. “The Sentinel did nothing to stand up for the rights of the Inosen for years. In a way, I can see why they were afraid, after everything King Verrain did in the war, but that should have stopped after he was dead. I’m not going to trust them anytime soon. They have nearly fifteen years of crimes against Inosen, and ignoring the conditions of the poor in this country, to make up for before I trust them. They’re grateful we stopped the princess from being assassinated and a war from happening, and they’ll pay us as thanks, but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually change anything.”

Raurie nodded once in agreement. “We’ll still try. We’ll never stop fighting for our freedom. But we’re not going to be naive either. I’ll believe they’ve changed only once they prove it, and right now is the best time to test them.”

As Raurie’s voice faded away, Aina recalled their conversation with the four remaining members of the Sentinel last night. They’d been so shocked by Bautix’s crimes and the attempted assassination on the princess—who had left to return home at once with no word on the status of the alliance between their countries—that Aina wouldn’t trust any of them until they could get their heads on straight. But she also thought the Inosen were right—now was a good time to strike, when the Sentinel was willing to question everything Bautix had ever supported.