Tain Hu’s lips kept careful distance from her ear. “Because I think you’ve realized that who you are will forever hold you back from what you deserve. Because I know you’re selfish, calculating, and farsighted, and when you find no way forward through the Falcresti maze, you’ll resort to tearing it down. I knew it even when you ruined my counterfeits. I knew you’d tire of the chains.” She gripped Baru’s shoulder and bore down painfully, her gloves studded, her strength obvious. “But my support will come at a cost.”
