Page 70 of Fearless

My hand lifts to tug the collar of my shirt down, down, down….

I know the brand is visible when his face pales.

“Is that…” He swallows. “Is that anO?”

I don’t bother looking down at the jagged letter that defines me. “For Ordinary.”

Kitt is shaking his head now. “I… I don’t…”

“After trailing his blade down my neck,” I say flatly, “he promised to leave his mark on my heart, so I never forget who broke it.”

He raises his hand, as if wishing to run his fingers over the scar before thinking better of it. “This is not the man I knew.”

“The man you knew didn’t exist.”

His eyes trace that mangled circle of flesh. “I’m sorry.”

My voice is hoarse. “I am too.”

“You’re not the girl I knew during those Purging Trials,” he says softly. “Not anymore.”

His words don’t startle me like I thought they would. Because he’s right. I’ve already mourned the girl who died alongside Adena in that Pit. Something broken staggered out of the Bowl Arena that day. And I have only been stronger for it.

“And you are not the boy I knew either.” My throat is dry, but I scrape the words off my tongue. “Now, I want to know this king you’ve become.”

Kitt’s voice is light despite the weight of his words. “I worry for what you will find.”

CHAPTER 26Paedyn

Wind whips at my hair and stings my cheeks.

It’s biting in a way that’s oddly refreshing after the stuffy coach ride between the uncharacteristically quiet brothers.

I’ve never been so close to the sea. Never dared.

Now I’ll be sailing over it.

We stand at the edge of the only rickety dock left in Ilya. Inky water slaps against the long posts supporting each wood slab we stand on. I breathe in the salty air, scan the ever-stretching horizon. It’s terrifyingly exhilarating, this something that finds such strength in the ever-changing.

But what floats atop the water is nearly as breathtaking.

The ship looms to our left, casting an ominous shadow over us. The dark wood spans several hundred feet long, coming to a slight point at one end. Two large sails are bunched tightly against the tall masts, readying to be reunited with the wind.

My gaze travels over the expanse of wood before falling back to the waves lapping beneath. “Is the water always this choppy?” I ask, looking over at the brothers.

“No,” Kai answers dully.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good.”

“It’s usually worse.”

And just like that, my chest is tightening once again.

Kitt claps his Enforcer on the shoulder. “Ever the optimist, Brother.”

The king seems to be in higher spirits this morning, despite our heavy conversation last night. Or perhaps it’s simply Kai who brightens his mood.

“Yes,” I muse, “very comforting.”

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