‘That’s just what they want you to think,’ Lilla said, low and urgent. If he could convince Kux, another Fang, they might have a chance.

Tayan is going to come for you, and you won’t even claim him as your husband. You’re going to abandon him.

Lilla forced away the thought. The guilt was enough to bring him to his knees, if he let it. He wouldn’t. ‘If we claim them, then when we rebel, they’ll be executed. It ensures our compliance because once we’ve claimed them, they become another collar around our necks and another brand in our flesh.’

Kux sucked in a breath, and so did the warriors pressed so close they couldn’t help but overhear. ‘What did you say? You’re telling me my own fucking children are another form of slavery?’

‘Yes. No. No! I’m saying that’s how they use our loved ones against us.’ The pit was a rising ripple of sound as his words were passed on to others. It had been this way every day he’d spoken to them since Dakto had given him this knowledge. Lilla didn’t fully understand why the man had done it, but he wasn’t going to waste it. The pain in his head and the ever-present whine in his ears began to increase, as it did whenever he was frustrated or angry.

‘If we don’t claim them, they won’t be punished for our actions, don’t you see? They can’t be punished, because no one knows who they are. We have nothing to lose but our own lives when we rise up. And once we’ve won, then we can look for our families and pray they still live. We do this for them, to help them.’

‘We do it and they believe we’ve abandoned them.’ Kux’s voice was cold. ‘I’ll not have my girls thinking I don’t love them any more. They’ve already lost one parent because of this fucking war – they won’t lose me too.’

‘They’ll understand …’ Lilla tried, but Kux’s lips were pressed together against emotion strong enough to rend and the words dried up. ‘It’s everyone’s individual choice,’ he tried, but the words were slow and turgid with hopelessness. ‘If we don’t claim them, they aren’t tainted by our so-called treason. When we win, when we see them again, we can explain.’