Page 51 of Shadow and Smite

I had buried those questions when I filled the grave. To escape, to survive—I had ignored the pain.

I had been a stowaway. A captive. Now I was free.

I sailed the Isles of Fae in the company of a prince, a sprite, and a lesser deity. Our quest was to save a princess—to face a necromancer.

This was the greatest adventure of my life. This was an adventure from hell. That I’d held myself together this long was a miracle. Maybe I was stronger than I thought.

Instead of facing the water trial, I had wanted to run. With Zayne by my side, I faced it. While forced to relive my splintered memories, I had foundsomething.

Not peace. Not comfort. Not exactly release.

But watching again, I saw that the assassination attempt hadn’t been my fault. I hadn’t deserved deception or betrayal. I didn’t deserve to be broken. I owned the power of my healing.

Now Zayne knew the truth—who I was and why I left. He had faced my deepest secret. He had stayed by my side, learning whysisterhoodmeant something different to me. Zayne had listened and watched and understood.

We had bonded in a new way.And it scared the hell out of me.

The last man I trusted had tried to kill me.

And I had watched the life fade from his eyes.

I knew the rush of certainty that my dagger had struck true, the realization I was safe, that I’d killed a man…

I shuddered in Zayne’s arms. He lifted me closer.

If you hadn’t killed him, I would have done it for you.

I listened to the thump of Zayne’s heartbeat, grounding myself in the consistency. Without thinking, I nuzzled into him, toward safety.

“Ayla needs rest. I’m taking her to the cabin,” Zayne said, putting an end to the banter between Vanessa and Ninti. “Vanessa, can you continue our route to the Isle of Shadow?”

“Sure.” The water sprite sighed. “As long asshepromises not to burn down the boat.”

“As long as you don’t get me wet,” Ninti countered.

“It’s a deal.”

Their words sounded so far away. I blinked my eyes open as Zayne carried me to the cabin.

The giant turtle lifted her head. Leodoras gave a final farewell before swimming away. I didn’t understand exactly what had happened in her trial; it was possible I never would.

The sun hung low on the horizon, confirming hours had passed since we started the trial.

Ninti padded nearby, following us into the cabin. She wore the form of a dog, and even in this smaller body, her presence stole took my breath away.

My Firewolf was real. Ninti was with me.

It didn’t seem possible. I couldn’t grasp the consequences of what had happened, what my bond with Ninti truly meant.

I thought our quest was to help a princess claim her throne—my reward was to have my Brand destroyed. That was easy to understand.

Everything concerning deities was much more confusing. There were threads to this quest I didn’t have the strength to untangle.

Zayne settled me on the bed, the wall of pillows still dividing the middle. I curled up on my side, facing his side of the bed. I sank into the mattress, relieved to let it support me. The boat swayed, rocking back and forth.

“How’s your Brand?” he asked.

I tugged at the neck of my tunic. “It’s the size of my thumbprint.” Since the gnomes entered my mind, the Brand’s controlling impulses had grown quiet.

---