“I can promise I won’t kill you,” Lilia said. “But if you don’t go with me, you’ll die here. They have omajistas outside, much more powerful than you or me. They’re going to burn us out. They’ll come looking for you. But I can get you into Dhai. I can get you over the wall.”

“No one gets over the wall,” Tulana said. “You could force it, but–”

“No,” Lilia said. “Listen.”

And she told them her plan.

They stared at her in stunned silence. Only Gian laughed.

“You have grown bold,” Taigan said.

“No bolder than a sanisi who pushed me off a cliff,” Lilia said sharply.

“They will pound us against the wall,” Tulana said. “They will slaughter us like boars.”

“They’ll do that anyway,” Lilia said. “Yes or no?”

“You get us through that wall… then yes.”

“Taigan, can you bind them to their word? Can you bind them in blood?”

“What?” Tulana said.

“You can’t–” Voralyn spat.

“This is not–” Sokai said.

Lilia’s voice rose. “You will bind yourselves in blood, or we’re done.”

“No,” Tulana said.

So Lilia left them.

Taigan followed after her, said, “What are you trying to do, raise some kind of army?”

“They’ll come,” Lilia said with conviction. No one opened the gates of Liona, she knew. To get home, she needed to do something extraordinary.

Lilia went to the meeting house at the center of the camp. She took the stage. The whole camp was already abuzz with what had happened at the gates. They had begun to collect in the meeting house.

“I’m leaving for the pass,” Lilia said loudly.

“You’re mad!” someone yelled back.

“Maybe so,” Lilia shouted at him. “Maybe so! Listen, I’m going. If you stay here, you’re dead. I cannot protect you like I did yesterday. You understand? We’re going home, or not at all.”

“It’s not our home!” someone else said.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lilia said. “It’s the home of every Dhai. They will open those gates to you as your kin. I swear my life on it. Will you join me or burn here?”

She tried to jump off the stage, but her bad leg made it difficult. Taigan offered his hand. Lilia took it. They walked back to Emlee’s house. Lilia announced she was leaving.

“I have known no other home but this,” Emlee said. “I will not smash myself against your wall.”

“It’s different this time,” Lilia said.

“Why?”

“Because you have me.”

“You are powerful, girl, but you aren’t a god.”

“We’ll see about that,” Lilia said.

Lilia held out her hand to Gian. Gian took it.

“Are you with me?” Lilia asked.

“Yes,” Gian said.