The confrontation was making Cole uneasy. It felt like he was eavesdropping. He certainly wanted to stay out of it. Twitch seemed equally uncomfortable. Trying to appear disinterested, Cole watched out the window as the auto-coach crossed a wide channel on a sturdy stone bridge.

“What if it went the other way in there?” Mira asked.

“I had my rope,” Jace said.

“So we solve the problem with violence,” Mira said. “If you used the rope to beat them up, how fast would the story spread? Not a very big town. My guess is minutes. How soon before the legion hears about a kid using a golden rope to trash an inn? How soon before hundreds of horsemen get a second chance to corner us? And why? Because you couldn’t handle some miserable slave making fun of your hat.”

Jace folded his arms across his chest and glared at her crossly. He almost said something once, twice, then kept his mouth shut.

“Yes?” Mira asked.

“You might have a point,” he allowed grumpily.

“I’ve been hiding for decades,” Mira said. “That doesn’t work if you attract attention. You had your reasons for how you acted. You’re right that the guy kind of had it coming. I’m asking you to be smarter than that.”

“You want me to let people treat us like dirt?” Jace spat.

“Don’t let others control you,” Mira said. “Don’t let them prod you into making stupid moves. Let them have the meaningless victories. Let that stuff go. Think bigger. Play to win.”

“Never stick my neck out,” Jace said as if making a mental note. “Fine, we’ll see how that goes.”

Mira shook her head. “Don’t deliberately misunderstand. When it matters, go all in, fight to the finish. Just not when it doesn’t matter and could mess up what you want most.”

“What if I most want my self-respect?” Jace shot back. “What if that’s the most precious thing I have? What if, without that, I wouldn’t be a guy who could stick his neck out when it mattered?”

“How others treat you doesn’t have to hurt your self-respect,” Mira said. “Forgiving some poor guy who didn’t know who he was messing with doesn’t have to hurt your self-respect. Neither does being smart. Neither does playing to win.”

Jace chuckled cynically. “You were definitely born to rule. You know everything I should do. You even know how I should feel. You don’t want friends, Mira, you want semblances. Guess what? I’m not a puppet. And I’m not stupid. Maybe I thought sticking it to Baldy would make us look like we really were rich kids on holiday. Maybe that’s why the owner treated us so well. Maybe the rest of you looked like imposters because you let some mouthy slave act like your superior.”

Mira hesitated, finally shrugging. “Maybe. It felt unnecessary to me.”

“Fine,” Jace said. “I get it. I’ll try to pick the right battles. But I also need to follow my instincts. I’m good at surviving too, Mira. Without any help.”

“That’s fair,” Mira said. “But I’ll part ways with you if I feel you’re endangering me. Not out of meanness. Out of self-preservation. I don’t want to control you, Jace. But I have every right to control my own fate.”

Having crossed the waterway, the autocoach took the next left. They seemed to be heading out of town. The lane wasn’t paved, and homes were becoming infrequent.

“I see a wall up ahead,” Cole said, hoping to change the subject.

“Good work, Cole,” Jace muttered. “If I’m gone, at least you’ll have an expert wall spotter.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cole asked.

“It means, what’s your opinion?” Jace said. “It’s easy to let Mira do all the talking. Should I have left Baldy alone? Did I make a mistake? You didn’t back me up at the lodge. You just sat there looking awkward. I know what Twitch was thinking. He was figuring out which window would offer the quickest escape. That’s what he does. Maybe it’s a bug thing. But what about you?”

“I thought you crossed the line,” Cole said. “Pouring the soup on him was too much. It could have started a real fight.”

“I couldn’t show weakness,” Jace said. “If I was going to stand up to him, I had to go for the throat. How would you have handled it?”

Cole sighed. “You saw how I handled it.”

“You would have taken it?” Jace asked.

“Yeah, until Baldy crossed the line, I would have taken it. I did take it.”

The autocoach came to a halt. “Would you like to investigate whether this is the desired destination?” Bertram asked.

“In a second,” Jace said, sizing up Cole. “Twitch can spot the exits. Cole can take the insults. I’ll keep us alive.”

“Cole has saved my life more than once,” Mira said, fire in her tone. “Not just the cyclops. Remember when he came into the common room with his bow? That was the time to act.”

“I didn’t see any arrows in the legionnaires running to get you,” Jace said. “I forget, who took them out?”

“I’m not saying you didn’t help,” Mira said. “I’m saying Cole came to my rescue first. Don’t insult the only people on your side. You could learn a lot from Cole.”

Cole cringed inside. He knew Mira was trying to help, just as he knew she was making it worse.

“Good to know,” Jace said. “I was wondering who I could study for some pointers.”

“One of my secrets is watching for walls,” Cole said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jace smiled knowingly. “Another is staying in the auto-coach when it’s about to be destroyed.”

The truth of it felt like a stab to the gut. “You’re right. I froze.”

“It happens,” Jace said. “Usually it gets you killed.”

“Stop it!” Mira said. “Seriously.”

“It’s okay,” Cole said, angry now. Obviously, Jace didn’t want to pull any punches. “Jace probably saved my life back there. He can teach me a lot. What’s your secret? Practice? Reflexes? True love?”

Jace looked so stunned and terrified that Cole almost regretted the words. Almost.

Twitch laughed really hard. “You guys are hilarious!” Cole could tell it was forced. “We’ve come a really long way to talk to this herb lady. We’re outside her door. And all we can do is squabble.”