“Why are you acting like we’re the enemy?” Shura says suddenly, hurt pooling in her eyes. “Do you know what it’s taken to get this far? Do you have any idea at all?”

I swallow the knot in my throat, afraid to look at their eyes but knowing I need to. “I don’t think you’re the enemy. Not even a little bit. But I don’t see how wiping out an entire species is right.”

“They’re not real.” Theo clenches his teeth. “The Rezzies don’t give a shit whether we suffer. Or how we suffer, for that matter. They don’t want us here, and they’re doing everything in their power to make sure they get rid of us.”

“But if we could convince the Residents to try something that’s never been done before—” I start.

“We don’t have time for that,” Theo interrupts, face red. “Right this moment, they’re trying to figure out how to sever human ties to Infinity for good. And what happens if they figure it out? What happens to my brother if they decide to send him to Death instead of the Winter Keep?”

“But what if I can talk to Prince Caelan? What if I can convince him to—”

“The Residents are monsters,” Shura growls, angry. Angry at me. “You can’t convince them. You don’t know what they’re really like.”

“You don’t know Caelan like I do. He’s not a monster,” I say, desperate. “He believes in a different world. A better world. He just needs to be shown the way.”

“Are you serious right now?” Theo’s voice bellows. “He’s the villain! He’s the one who sent a man to Death to have his consciousness ripped from his body. He’s the one who threw my brother in the Winter Keep to be tortured. He’s the one who wants to lure us all out of hiding so he can get rid of us forever. Because he wants us dead. Or have you been having so much fun dancing with the prince that you’ve forgotten?”

I clamp my mouth shut. Annika places a hand on Theo’s back, calming him.

“You’re my friend,” Shura says softly. “But you’re acting like a real jerk right now.”

Tears fill my eyes, and I push myself away from the table, past Gil and through the door.

I’m halfway to the elevator when his voice stops me.

“Nice speech.”

I whirl around, cheeks damp with tears. “Leave me alone.”

Gil stops a footstep away. “I thought you said you understood our cause.”

“I do understand,” I say. “That’s why I care enough to point out there’s a better way to win this war.”

He narrows his eyes. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“I’m playing the game you all are making me play.”