"Mother taught me how to play with it," Ilinca told him, letting out one of her real laughs this time. There was no one around to ensnare, so what was the harm?
Ilinca let out a small noise of surprise (which, in itself surprised her, few people could do that anymore), but let Marcus lead her into the dance regardless. She huffed out an amused breath, looking up at him as they moved. "All the time, in Bulgaria," she answered. "In the forests, they'd come through and think we were too good to be true. But they still fell. They still wanted us. The difference was, back then, they were more wary of magic. It took more effort. And we had to break them ourselves. Now, they're all but self-breaking."
"What's brought this on?" she asked. "No one has ever asked before, so long as I clean up after myself."