But he doesn’t respond, studying his hands like he’s remembering what he was forced to do. What he had to relive in order to fight.

“I’m guessing everyone is pretty mad at me for blowing my cover,” I say quietly. “The Residents must’ve seen me running toward you. I doubt I’ll be able to explain that away.”

Frustration takes over Gil’s brow. “You—you didn’t blow your cover. I put a veil over you. I was trying to protect you.” He flexes his fingers nervously. “That’s why you got hit by Annika’s vine. She couldn’t see you.” He looks up, stricken. “It’s my fault you got hurt.”

Understanding sweeps over me, along with his guilt.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, clasping his hands together. “I just—I saw you there, and I didn’t want you to get caught.”

“You didn’t want to risk the mission,” I counter gently.

“I didn’t want to risk you,” he corrects, then bites down on his words. A whisper of fear flickers in his eyes like a memory.

My mind pieces together the broken fragments of what happened. Of what I remember. “The Nightling…” I look back at him, falling silent.

He nods guiltily. “It came because of me. Because of what I was afraid had happened to you.”

“You said there’d never been Nightlings in Victory before, but I think it may have saved our lives. Maybe it’s a good thing,” I offer. “Even the Residents were afraid. Maybe we could use them to our advantage.”

“Nightlings are unpredictable.” He shakes his head, doubtful. “And we’ve revealed the Resistance not just to Victory, but to Death, too. They know about us and what we can do; they know we’re a threat. It isn’t safe to go out. I’m not sure how much longer it will be safe in here, either.” He sounds so tired. So shattered.

Did fighting really take so much out of him? Or is it something else?

I take his hand without thinking, squeezing it tightly. “We’ll find a way to stop them.”

He stares at our hands for a long time before speaking again. “Does that mean you’re on our side now?”

“I’ve always been on your side,” I say. “But all those people being shuttled off to Death…” The humans weren’t aware. I could see it in their faces; they weren’t like the girl from the palace. So why lie about it? Why send them away?

And on Prince Caelan’s orders. The prince I wanted so badly to believe might want better for this world.

Death isn’t better. It’s the one place no human comes back from. The place that’s trying to exterminate humans for good.