"Was it not?" Byerly asks in return. Then he offers a very slight lift of one shoulder. "It was easy," he says. "No one knew what to do with you, so the easiest thing was to put you away. Set you aside. No matter the consequences to you."

He's quiet a moment. Then: "I cannot fault my comrades their practicality," he says. "But in this matter, I can fault them their humanity. Their compassion. It - Not that prison gates should be thrown open without hesitation; of course not. But working alongside you, it has become clear that if we'd granted you a chance earlier, you'd have proven yourself without hesitation."