I squared my shoulders, though my knees shook. “Well, here I am.”
“There you are.” I thought there was a speck of wonderment in his voice. “And right lucky it is that I’d be the one to find you. I imagine you’ve earned yourself quite the prison sentence by now. They’re jailing rebels and deserters alike these days.”
“Is that your deal then?” I asked, eyes narrowing. “Do as you say, or you’ll throw me to the House of Lords?”
He pretended that I hadn’t spoken. “I’ve come to the assumption you’ve only remained neutral all this time because there’s some morsel of sympathy you can’t rid yourself of. For Crafters, I mean. For the Miners Union.”
“For terrorists?” I asked. “No, sir. My sympathy is reserved for civilians—the ones who never asked to be a part of your war.”
“Hmm,” he graveled, t
