“How long have I been asleep?” Ines asks in a groggy voice as she blinks at us.

“We’re not sure,” Aarya says. “My best guess is that they used some of our darts on us—knocked us out for a few hours.”

“Agreed,” Ash says. “Which would make it sometime in the early morning, but given the lack of windows it’s impossible to know.”

Ines looks up at her arms spread out on either side of her head. “Well, that’s a problem.”

“Ya think?” Aarya says.

“I have a pin tucked into my hair,” Ines says, and we all turn to look at her like she just proposed. “I’ve carried one ever since Blackwood nearly suffocated you with that locked mask, Aarya.”

Aarya’s expression softens with a sweetness that’s completely out of keeping with our current situation, and completely out of keeping with Aarya in general.

“And the lightning poison dart,” Ines adds, and I could cry from relief.

Aarya leans forward to give Ash a vindicated look.

“But with my arms spread like this,” Ines says, “I can’t actually reach either.” Ines turns first to Aarya, then to me. “So the only way we’ll be able to retrieve them is if you two work together.”

For a split second I’m not sure what she means. But when I examine our positioning, it clicks—there is only one way we could possibly finagle a pin out of her hair. “Our feet?”

“Toes, to be precise,” Aarya says, kicking off her left boot. “Where’s the pin, Ines?”

“In my right braid,” Ines says. “A few inches back from my temple.”

“I think I see where you mean,” I say.

Aarya nods. “If you can grab the braid and hold it in place, Ember, I’ll push the pin out from my side.” She steps on her sock with her right boot and pulls her left foot out of it, wiggling her toes.

I stare at my boots, which are laced up tightly and not easily removable. And with my hands splayed out like this, they are nearly impossible to reach.

“If you put your foot by mine, I can untie it with—” Ash offers, but I cut him off.

“They’re double-knotted,” I say.

“You double-knot your laces?” Ash asks like he might be amused by this discovery if we were in any other situation than this one.

“I didn’t know anyone over the age of ten did that,” Aarya says.

“People who don’t want their laces to come untied do it,” I reply, frowning at my feet.

“Clearly,” Aarya says.

“Can you get your boot up to your hand?” Ash asks.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I can fold my body like that,” I say, doubtful. “But I’ll give it a try.”