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sensed a hum of tension in him, a disquiet that made my skin prickle in answer. When he looked at me, I felt like he saw more than I wanted him to see. It unnerved me.
    “I called your name,” he said, his voice a rich whisper uncurling in the near-darkness.
    I brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen into my eyes. It was something to do because I was suddenly too restless, too aware of the air surrounding me. Why did he have that effect on me?
    “What are you doing here?”
    “When I saw you today, it seemed like you wanted to speak to me. And I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
    “Talk to me about what?”
    But I had a feeling I already knew.
    “When your parents were killed, they left a hole in the net of Thorns operatives.”
    My fingers found the wall, and I leaned against it. My legs had begun to tremble.
    “You kept the brooch,” he said, “but you gave me no definitive answer about your intentions.”
    I thought about the secret room beneath our feet filled with maps and documents. I thought about the location of the farm, far from the village and surrounded by forest. Of course they wanted me to work for them. It was perfect.
    But what about my family?
    “The safety of my siblings is my top priority,” I managed.
    Adam’s eyes softened. “The work we do is dangerous. I won’t pretend it isn’t. But you might find that refusing to fight back against the Aeralian occupation is even more dangerous in the end.”
    “Is the Farthers’ occupation of the Frost the Thorns’ top priority?”
    “No. But the defeat of the Aeralian dictator is, and if he is unseated, then your occupation will end, too.” He paused. “But you forget—this is my home, too. And I will defend it with my life.”
    He was not native to the Frost, but he still seemed a part of it all the same. He’d lived here for years.
    I considered his words. On the one hand, it was dangerous work with an uncertain end. But on the other, it was my parents’ work, and it was noble. I believed that.
    Adam was waiting for my reply.
    “I don’t know,” I said, although the words themselves felt like a surrender to destiny. I lifted my eyes to his and I held his gaze even though doing so made my stomach drop to my knees. “But I will make a decision soon.”
    He accepted this answer. “If you need to communicate with me, hang a lantern by the tree line. That’s the signal.”
    I remembered. We’d done the same the night Gabe had traveled through the portal. “I’ll remember.”
    He nodded. He was still looking at me.
    One of the horses snorted, and I turned to soothe him. When I turned back, Adam had vanished. The barn door was slightly ajar, and a cold wind fanned my cheeks.
    I sighed.
     
    ~
     
    Adam Brewer and his Thorns, Leon Blacksmith and his Blackcoats, the Farther soldiers and their consulate plans—the stress of it all pounded a headache behind my eyes as I settled down to work on quota with my siblings, but I did my best to act calm. Jonn seemed to sense my frustration, for he silently patted my arm a few times, a gesture that only made me seethe. Why did he always seem to think I was a glass bowl waiting to be broken these days?
    Scowling, I filled the kettle with fresh snow from the yard and returned into the main room to hang it over the fire. Ivy’s shoulders tensed as I drew close to her. We were still in a disagreement over quota.
    Jonn studied both our faces before settling on mine, and I could read the warnings in his eyes. He jerked his chin at Ivy, urging me to speak, and I suppressed a sigh. Irritatingly sensitive or not, my twin always knew how to coax me into softening.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, trying to sound gentle. “You’re right. I haven’t been in a very good mood lately.”
    “Nobody is,” Jonn added, ever the peacemaker. “The Farthers are making everyone tense.”
    My sister’s eyes shimmered. She grabbed her yarn and bent over it. “Tell me some riddles?”
    He glanced at me, silently