Lan Wangji's hand in Magnus' hair stops, although he does not move it away. He only wants, for a time, to hold Magnus' head to his shoulder and chest, to be still with him. "There are several paths," he says slowly, "and duty taken unwillingly is not duty worth fulfilling."

He thinks again of their second meeting. Did Magnus believe him a god then? He must have. "I have seen how you can heal wounds and enforce peace. I read of your father's nature." Again, he says, "There are several paths."