Gil is expressionless. “Ahmet and I were searching for survivors in the Labyrinth, and things took a turn. Ahmet made it back over the border—but I was captured.” His words sound clipped, like he has no interest in sharing more than the basics.

“Did anyone try to look for you?”

“War is not the kind of place you willingly venture,” he replies, the tiniest bit ruffled. Maybe he prefers to be the one asking all the questions.

“I can’t imagine leaving someone behind like that,” I admit, thinking of Mei. If she were captured, it wouldn’t matter what court the Residents took her to. I’d follow her to the end of Infinity if I had to.

“I don’t blame Ahmet or anyone else for not coming to my rescue. They’d have sacrificed their own freedom on a futile cause, for one. But it’s also much harder to be trapped in War with someone you care about.” Gil’s eyes harden. “I’ve seen friends tied up beside one another, forced to watch as Residents carve out their flesh inch by inch. I’ve seen parents forced to choose between which of their children is thrown into the Fire Pit. I’ve seen people scour the earth for their missing loved ones, only to find their severed but still conscious heads mounted on pikes.”

Queasiness tears through me, making me feel off-balance. “If you’re trying to frighten me, it’s working.”

Gil doesn’t look away. “The truth is always frightening. What else would a resistance be founded on?”

“You think fear makes people want to fight?”

“I think fear takes away their choice.”

I turn back to the glass tower. The cold finds my throat, making my breath hitch. “You don’t think it should be my choice as to whether or not I join the war.” It isn’t a question, but if it were, his silence would be answer enough. “I’m one person, and I have no abilities that could help you or anyone else in the Colony.” I meet his gaze. “So why do you care whether I fight or not?”

“I’m tired,” he says, and it feels like a heavy admission. “We all are. And the sooner we find a way to take down Ophelia, the sooner this can all be over.”

“What if we fail?”

He hesitates, mouth twitching. “It isn’t enough just to survive. I want a chance to truly exist. Otherwise what’s the point in any of this?”

“I thought the point was to stay safe,” I say. “Isn’t that what the Colony offers?”