Absently, my hands gather clusters of pine needles and start stripping them apart. We’re moving away from the mountains slowly, into the space between the Eastern and Western Mountains that is mostly uninhabited. Overhead, the stars are as bright as they were back home, unobscured by the late-burning lanterns of the cities. The air is sharp and clear, like we’re the only people for miles. I stare into the darkness for a long time, before finally saying, “She wanted to talk about my magic.”

“That...makes sense.” He sounds a little hesitant, like he knows he’s treading on fragile ground. “You’re...very powerful. I’m lucky we’re on the same team.” I should be horrified that he just used the same words Isolde said last night, but what he says next is even worse. “You do have practice not blowing things up, right?”

My fingers ball tight around the pine needles as I breathe in their sharp, sweet smell. “I don’t use my magic unless I have no other choice. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

Raze is, surprisingly, thoughtfully quiet. When he speaks again, his tone is gentle. “No one should be forced to use magic if they don’t want to. I should know.”

I have to fight not to do a double take at him. There’s real pain in his voice, and real sympathy, too. Raze was the absolute last person I expected to have on my side.

“Thank you.” I hesitate, brushing the crumbled greenery away from the design in my palm. “I didn’t mean to steal this, you know. I don’t understand why it had to be me.”

“Told you, I’m lucky.” He laughs, surprising me again. Why isn’t he taking this seriously? “No one knew it had to be a changeling, not even Leira. You just happened to be the only one there, and now you’re stuck taking this shapeshifting idiot to the Fate-forsaken fortress my ancestors clearly didn’t think through. Maybe by the time we get there I’ll have decided whether I want to redeem my family legacy or burn it all to the ground.”

I let his words settle over me. He clearly has a complicated connection to his family, and it doesn’t seem like any of my business. I shouldn’t say anything, because if I care about what he does in the end, then I’m going to have to start considering if we’re doing the right thing.

Amusement lights his face. “What is it, Iselia? What are you thinking?”

I don’t think he really cares what I’m thinking, because my opinion doesn’t matter. I’m just a pawn—a pawn who is going to be handsomely rewarded when this whole cursed ordeal is over. I’m thinking I can’t wait until Isolde and I have the Destiny to ourselves, because I just want everything to go back to normal. I’m thinking he’s right, he is an idiot. In the end, I decide on, “Why would you tell me that?”

Raze actually pauses to think about it, and the only sound is the insects settling in for the night. “Because you can’t possibly like me any less than you already do,” he says eventually, still attempting to buoy his words with a lightness that feels forced. “So what do I have to lose?”