Cara turned her head away. It was a silly thing. Oh, very silly. She went still as she remembered.

“I asked. I was just a girl who…bad things happened to. I wanted someone to save me. To help me. And no one did. It’s not a special story in my world. There are no miracles.”

Grishen was silent. She eyed Cara up and down and then slowly rose.

“Well, if you feel that way, doubtless there never will be, girl. But the fact remains. You might not like it, but you have the ability to change how tomorrow fares. Put plainly—we could die but for your objection to being the person who was needed. The person you never got.”

Cara jerked as if Grishen had hit her again. She shouted after the old woman.

“Is that it? You came here to tell me to sing or we all die?”

Grishen turned back, looking oddly at Cara. She walked slowly over to the bed again.

“I would have thought you’d appreciate that among everyone. Miss Violetta has been telling tales. You kept her from breaking down when the undead beset her home. You made those two children laugh, and for that their parents love you. You told me you wandered through the Tomb of Afiele for days and nights, alone, dying of thirst and hunger. And you never gave up.”

She stood there as Cara said nothing. The Duchess looked down her nose at Cara.

“It pains me to say it to a rude girl like you. But Afiele was made of your sort. So was my duchy. The resilience to never give up. To persevere, in your own way. So what if it was by song and performance? I thought you had spirit. If you despair over the unfairness of the world—you are not alone. But grow up and overcome it.”

Cara felt the flush of fever fading from her head as if the words were a cold bucket. She believed them.

She was just—afraid.

Afraid of letting people down. Of not being strong enough. Of turning a blind eye or giving up. All the things that had happened to her from her…heroes.

“Let me tell you something, Cara. I have seen my share of monsters. This siege is not the worst I have lived through. This [Necromancer] is a brat playing with toys. I saw the Necromancer, Az’kerash, slaughter entire armies. Turn cities to morgues overnight. I have lived through a Goblin King’s war upon the world and saw his death. And it was nothing compared to the woman who founded my house.”

Grishen stood there. She looked past Cara, at something else.