Oh. If she were in human form right now, Ulla thinks she might cry. It's too familiar. It tears at a wound that never healed over in the first place. She's grateful he isn't looking at her, so she has a chance to compose herself a little.

Her voice is raw when she answers, full of old pain and quiet anger. "I had someone like that too. Her ambition was intertwined with mine. Sildroher magic works through music, and we were a perfect match for duets. For years, it was the two of us. Then our performance caught the attention of the prince, and it was the three of us. When he turned on me and left me for dead, she chose him."

She isn't looking at Kepler any more than he looked at her, Ulla's gaze firmly on the sand in front of her. "She came first for me, always. I realized too late that what I was to her was a refuge. She left me when she found another safe rock to cling to."

Ulla would have done anything for Signy. She did do anything for Signy; that boy's death would weigh more on her conscience if she hadn't discarded most of her scruples when she swore revenge.