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blonde to black to a fierce, flaming red. Their gazes fell to my forehead and the women frowned, their conversation dying out immediately. Dread sank my feet into the floor. I could barely hobble, much less run away. There was nothing to do but face these women and act like I had nothing to hide.
    “Good evening, Mrs. Van Cott,” Coltrane said brightly. “Hello, Mrs. Graff. Have you met our guest? This is Amy, a refugee from NORA.”
    The women stopped as one. The redhead adjusted the infant in her arms and cocked her head, staring me down. “You’re the girl Lillibeth’s been harboring?”
    “Nice to meet you,” I said.
    We stood there, the ladies eyeing my forehead with a mixture of disdain and confusion, and me feeling like an animal on display. That was probably how they saw me. I could see the question they wanted to ask. With such a high Rating, why would I leave NORA?
    “Well,” Coltrane said slowly, “we should get going. Good to see you all.”
    The women began whispering the moment we left. I felt their eyes on my back as I hobbled down the tunnel. The corner was so far away. All I wanted to do was turn and sprint back to the dwelling and hide under a blanket. Did they know who I was? If these people had helped NORA refugees before, they could have heard stories. Lillibeth had said I was safe here. I wasn’t so sure.
    “You know,” Coltrane said thoughtfully, “it may be best if we loan you some clothes. It’s hard to see past that uniform. And you may want to consider having your implant removed. My mom could cut it out for you in a manner of minutes.”
    I cringed at the thought. I’d intended to have it removed when I reached the settlement. Had Vance and the other settlers had removed theirs by now? Probably. “I’ll think about it.”
    Coltrane was quiet for a moment. The only sound was the steady thump-plop rhythm of my crutches and my feet hitting the ground.
    “It probably seems ironic to you, our distrust of outsiders,” Coltrane said quietly. “The pact says we have to accept everyone, regardless of their past. But when we take in citizens from our biggest enemy, it’s hard not to see them as potential spies. It would be so easy for them to go back and tell NORA we’re here. I think that’s my mom’s biggest worry—that someone will do that and bring the military upon us.”
    “Why do you think they care?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
    “We’ve been hiding right under their noses for half a century, just days from the border. They’ll immediately assume the worst. NORA is so paranoid that they take out settlements that are weeks away. If they knew about us, we’d be toast.”
    The empress had ordered those attacks. Dresden was in charge now. He’d promised to stop kidnapping settlers for integration. I opened my mouth to tell Coltrane as much, but then I shut it again. After Dresden’s political maneuvering and how he’d used me, I couldn’t tell Coltrane that he was safe with any degree of confidence. Besides, Dresden’s first act as emperor had been to declare war on outlanders. These people definitely qualified.
    “You know it’s true,” he said. “You’ve lived there. You know what they’re like. I mean, not you, but the people in charge. The winners of your game.”
    Time to change the subject. “Your mom is the leader of this community, isn’t she?” I asked.
    “When my dad didn’t come back, they appointed her harbinger in his place. She didn’t want to do it. I think she just wants to be a physician, but people say she does a good job.”
    “I can tell she really cares about the people here.” It made me like her more, this physician-turned-leader who had never even wanted to lead. If Dresden and Konnor hadn’t stolen the throne from me, I’d be in that position now.
    “I know you don’t want to talk about your time in NORA,” Coltrane said, lowering his voice even though the tunnel was empty. “But there’s something I’ve been