“If I were intimidated by strong women, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as far as I have in life.” It was an easy admission, though he didn’t offer up the details. Aria T’Loak. Sloane Kelly. The Pathfinder. Even his lieutenant, Keema. Strong women all, and either rivals that he’d sharpened his wits and weapons against, or worthy allies that had kept him alive and been like ace cards in his deck.

He’d tossed his backpack onto the stripped bed of his new room, running a finger thoughtfully along the dusty wall panels. But then the sound of a familiar name and recognisable location made him swivel on his heel and suddenly perk up more. Not Limbo City, not Panem, not Gaia, but— “Yes,” Reyes said quickly, eagerly, then paused and amended, “Well, technically. Earth does exist, and I know people who’ve visited New York, but in my world we’ve expanded far beyond it. We live on other planets and stations. Your world, it’s not just in the medieval past, then?”

Time could be surprisingly malleable; that was one thing he’d learnt here. “Is yours one with magic?”