Everyone should take her side, Tayrey believes, because she'd been fighting for her freedom in terrible circumstances. She has a moral certainty about it. Except that people hadn't sided with her. Too many had sided with her captor, had hated her, and it still disturbs her to think about. It shook her. Her captivity dealt her all sorts of damage, but her inability to trust people now, to believe that most of them are essentially good? That's part of the worst of it.

Ava's an exception, because Ava was never cruel, never said that Tayrey should give up hope and be satisfied living as a prisoner under torture. Never hurt her, despite plenty of opportunity. Ava was misguided, deceived, but no more than that.

She tries to shake off her preoccupations. No need for them to intrude on her life here; she needs to move forward.

'I'll bring fruit juice next time then,' she says, trying to recover her old cheer. 'And beer, although I don't suggest mixing them together! You'll be back next time? I'm going to teach kalixtri.'