Salo removes his crown and places it on a richly carved chest of drawers; then he moves to stand by the windows, giving his back to her. “What is it?” he says. Ilapara’s anger spikes. “Is this how it is now? We risk our lives to bring you back, and then you behave as if you don’t know us?” He doesn’t reply for a long time, and when he finally speaks, his voice is distant. “I owe you a debt I can never repay,” he says. “But I can’t be the person you want me to be right now. I have a mission more important than you could ever understand.”
