“Alden’s my younger brother.” The heavy words sounded as if they were being dragged out from Uriah. “I couldn’t stop him from going the way he did, but I should have. I should have talked him into seeing sense before it ever got this far.”

“He’s a grown man, not a child!” Dad sounded more aggravated than I’d ever heard him as he leaned forward in his chair. “You’re not responsible for any of the choices that he’s made—not to mention everyone else in that town who voted for him!”

“They didn’t all vote for him, though—and most of the ones who did didn’t know just how far he’d go. Lots of them were just scared of differences and change. Even more of them are scared now that he’s called in all those soldiers from across the country to take over.” Uriah gave an unhappy-looking shrug. “No one ever voted for him thinking that would happen.”

“Well, if he’s started making deals with the Larimont Council, we’re not the only ones who’ll end up hurt soon enough.” Eliza’s voice was tart as she sat cross-legged on the floor, somehow still looking like a reigning queen with her hands placed on her knees. “So the fine, upstanding citizens of your little town will have to start making much better choices, quickly. And we’ll have to make our own choices today, too—because the best defense is always a good offense. Young Fabian will be an important part of that strategy—just as soon as Miss Mia, here, gets over her attack of the flutters and finds the courage to talk to the boy about it!”

The room erupted into a noisy chaos of debate, but I didn’t join in with any of the arguing groups shouting around me. I was too busy gnawing on my lower lip and gnawing over Eliza’s accusation, too.

That horrible, looming sense of dread that gripped my heart whenever I thought of telling Leander the news... Was I protecting him, after all, by keeping his parents’ arrival a secret? Or was I only protecting myself from seeing him in pain and thereby being horribly unfair?

“This is ridiculous!” I shoved myself to my feet and spoke over the crowd to Uriah and my father. “I’ll be back with Leander in half an hour. Do not do anything reckless while I’m gone!”

Then I strode for the door, ignoring every question or command shouted after me, because I refused to let fear make all of my choices nowadays.