"Not exactly, I didn't go to military school or anything like that. I went to one to study magic." She had a feeling that explanation would be as lost on Slick as her referencing the Midlands when she told him where she'd come from, but she was doing what she could.

When he called himself a slave Lily looked unabashedly aghast that such a thing could even still exist. Never mind that she had no idea what the Republic was, the situation sounded horrible, and Lily was nothing without that innate, trusting compassionate streak.

"How many brothers do you have? What will happen to them if you're here?"