Chapter 15
I wait for as long as I can, but the bird never comes. He’s been scarce since Acker’s arrival. I leave a bowl of dried cheese and nuts out for him anyway.
It won’t last more than a meal, but it’s all I have to offer as goodbye. I climb back through my window and into my room for the last time.
Acker finishes refilling the waterskin, eyeing me as he stuffs it into my bag.
Music drifts up on the wind, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.
Acker asks, “Now?” I nod. But first … I pull the oldest sketchbook from the stack by the bed and open it to the page I bookmarked earlier. It’s the one numbered for age eleven, when I first began to keep my journals, and I lay it open on the mattress.
Then the next bookmarked journal, age twelve. And thirteen.
I repeat the process until there’s a blanket of drawings across the surface of my bed, all of the same image, the last being from this morning. Rolling hills of grass as far as the eye can see. The same hills and waist-high stalks I’ve dreamt of my entire life—an answer to why I left and where I’m going.
Home.
I feel more than hear Acker’s deep intake of breath.
Taking in one last look at the place I’ve found solace in most of my life, I open the door. The crossways are empty, but the sounds of congregating voices and instruments float up from below. It’s dusk and the lanterns are alight along the way. A strong breeze whips errant strands of hair from my
braid.
“Stay behind me,” I instruct.
Not that there’s any way to hide Acker’s stature. He’s at complete odds with traditional Alaha features, dark hair instead of light, brown eyes instead of gray. The Kenta clothes he scrubbed and dried to a semblance of cleanliness don’t help either.
We’ve taken all of two steps past Grenadine’s when her raspy, ancient voice stops us dead in our tracks. “Where are you sneaking off to?” She’s leaning against her open door, an all-knowing and delighted smile on her wrinkled lips.
I do my best to appear unfazed by her appearance, avoiding her question. “Why aren’t you at the Matching Ceremony?”
“Eh.” She waves a hand. “There’s no good food this year, so what’s the point?” Her eyes go to Acker, then come back to me. “He’s very handsome.
I can see why you’re jumping ship.”
Wary of saying anything to piss her off, I don’t correct her, biting my tongue. Instead, I reach into my pocket and retrieve one of the smaller coins, then two more after thinking about it, and hold them out to her.
Her smile grows, stained teeth showing. “You’ve always known how to speak to my heart.” She takes the three gold coins and winks at me. “I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep without you two bickering non- stop.” And with that, she shuts the door in our faces.
Acker lifts a brow at me. “I told you to yell at me quieter.”
We continue to the nearest cross section, and I go first, hanging and dropping down onto the crosswalk of the story below. Acker follows close behind. We make it to the next story before we see a group of people who are running late for the ceremony, and we lie on our stomachs so they can’t see us when they pass below.
It sounds like the party is in full swing by the time we reach the third story. We’re officially on borrowed time.
“We’ll jump from here.”
He eyes the choppy water below, probably remembering the swim through the swells of the storm during his escape.
“We’ll climb onto the underbelly of the Main, and climb that way until we’re closer to the dock.” I motion for him to hand over the pack, which I
secure around my waist. “Keep your legs and arms in line with your body.
And point your toes.”
He doesn’t voice any objections, if he has them, nodding in response to my instructions. I jump first and tread water while he leaps, a perfect student as he drops neatly into the water before quickly reappearing again.
We swim for the ladder and pull ourselves onto the cross beams below the Main.
The first time I crossed the underside of the Main, it took me hours, but I’ve figured out an efficient method to step across the barnacles and moss- covered beams. We zigzag toward the boats, quiet as we concentrate on our
steps.
“We’re almost there,” I tell him.
The wharf comes into view, the dock in the dead center of the Main and directly below the ceremony. I stop Acker with a hand and signal that it’s time to jump. The music and chatter cover the sound of our bodies hitting the water. Acker pulls himself onto the dock first, arm outstretched to lift me out, before he leaps onto the nearest fishing boat.
Untying my pack, I throw it to him and bend down to undo the mooring line, hands shaking. The sound of dancing feet and music is almost loud enough to block out the pounding of my heart.
I’m busy looking down when Acker calls my name—a warning I’m not able to heed quickly enough. Then hands are on me, the sharp edge of a sword at my neck.
Acker lifts his arms in surrender. “Easy,” he says, eyes locked on the mammoth of a man behind me.
“Don’t move.” Chills skate down my spine at the realization that I’m in Dupre’s hands. He instructs someone out of my view to go get Kai. “Onto the dock,” he orders Acker.
Acker follows the instructions, hands remaining high for everyone to see, stepping over the side of the hull and onto the planks. Dupre takes a step back, forcing me onto my tiptoes to avoid being cut by his blade.
Acker’s eyes focus on my exposed throat. “Easy,” he repeats, a deeper warning in his tone.
Kai steps into view. “Or what?” Two guards follow along behind him.
He looks me over, disappointment and resignation in his gaze, before tilting a chin at Dupre. “At ease.”
Dupre lowers the sword, and I suck in a deep breath of relief. It doesn’t last long.
I can hear the power of Kai’s gift lacing the words when he says, “On your knees.”
Acker lowers himself to one knee then the other, eyes raging despite his calm movements. It’s the first time I’ve seen Kai actively use his gift on someone else, and a new-found fear takes root inside me.
The two guards close in, placing shackles around Acker’s wrists. All the while, his stare doesn’t leave Kai, rage simmering under the surface.
With Acker momentarily taken care of, Kai runs his hands through his hair, before placing them on his hips as he turns his attention toward me.
Sorrow and anger flit across his face, like he’s torn between the two.
“Everything I’ve done to protect you.”
“Protect me?” I choke out. “You’re who I need protecting from.”
He shakes his head. “You have no idea.”
I all but snarl at him. “Enlighten me then.”
His voice comes out low and cold, eyes despondent. “It was me or my father.”
Stunned by his words, I stumble back into Dupre. Kai reaches out to steady me, but I jerk away from his touch.
Irritation sparks in his eyes. “I could sense your magic reacting to mine
in the dress shop.”
“Why didn’t you stop me then?”
“Because I was hoping I was wrong.” He throws a hand up in defeat. “I never wanted you to find out like this.”
I sneer. “Let’s not pretend you ever had any intention of telling me.”
“I did,” he argues. “I didn’t know when or how, but I knew a day would come when I’d have to be honest with you.”
“Yet here we are.”
He reaches for me again, stopping short when I tense. “Brynn,” he pleads.
There’s a long moment as I swallow past the sorrow in my throat, the urge to cry forcing me to keep my mouth shut.
When I don’t respond, he says it again.
“Brynn.”
“That’s not her name.”
All heads swivel to Acker, whose words were spoken with an eerie calmness. It’s unsettling enough to give the men pause. But Acker’s attention doesn’t deviate from Kai, gaze hard and unyielding despite the
compromised position he’s in.
“You have no power here.”
Acker smirks with knowing arrogance. “I have more than you.”
Kai doesn’t take the bait, turning his back in dismissal, but there’s a noticeable unease behind his eyes when he sets his sights back on me. “I only ever fed emotions back to you, emotions you were already feeling.”
I shake my head. “Nothing you say can justify manipulating me for your own gain.”
Kai’s face becomes hardened, anger and indignation tinting his cheeks with red. “Why do you think I never bedded you?”
Humiliation burns through my veins, pounds hot in my ears. I know at this moment that he’s no longer my friend. It still feels like a low blow. Too low.
“I wanted it to be your choice, without the influence of my magic. I wanted you…” He trails off, almost as if he doesn’t want to admit what he’s about to say. “I wanted you to really love me when you gave yourself to me.”
I don’t need my magic to know he’s being honest.
“That’s the thing, Kai,” I say, voice quiet for just him to hear. “I did love you. You were my best friend and you betrayed me.”
It takes a few heartbeats, but his reaction morphs from agony to stone.
“I have a plan in motion, and I can’t let you leave.” Holding my gaze, Kai keeps his back to Acker when he says, “Kill him.”
I lunge for Kai, but my legs are kicked out from behind me, and I land on my knees. One of the guards grabs Acker’s hair, angling his head back to expose his throat, while the other draws a sword from his belt.
Acker’s gaze slides to me, eyes hooded, neck tight from the unnatural angle his head is forced into. There’s a breath of time where he holds my stare, almost as if he’s wanting to convey something to me, something like
… regret, maybe?
Then he moves.
Swinging the chains from his shackles over his head, he catches the guard behind him by the neck, twisting the metal into a noose. He finishes him off within moments, shackles breaking from his wrists with a flourish of his magic. The other guard lunges for him but stops mid-attack. The sword is now in Acker’s hand, and he plunges it deep into the guard’s chest.
Stunned, the guard stumbles back, gargling on the blood filling his lungs.
Dupre tightens his grip on the sword at my neck as Acker’s attention turns toward us.
“You won’t kill her.” He’s not the slightest bit winded as he stalks forward. Kai unsheathes the sword at his hip. Acker has the audacity to smirk, not missing a beat as he kicks off a dock post and springs into the air before bringing down a fist right into Kai’s face. The fight is over before it starts. Kai falls to the dock with a heavy thud.
Dupre pushes the blade up under my chin to urge me into standing, using me as shield against Acker.
Picking up Kai’s fallen sword, Acker tests its weight, casually inspecting the weapon as he talks. “Let the girl go and I’ll consider not killing you.”
I’ve perhaps heard less than five sentences from Wren’s most trusted guard, but this is definitely the first time I’ve heard him swear. “Go fuck yourself.”
Acker looks up from the blade. “I’m starting to think the Alaha are all inbred. It’s the only explanation for your level of stupidity.”
There’s a surprising shake in Dupre’s hands, and I hiss against the sting of the blade as it nicks me.
Acker goes stock-still, losing every stitch of humor.
“I’m not scared of you—”
In one singular motion, Acker spins and launches the sword like a discus. I squeal, squeezing my eyes shut as the weapon hurtles toward me.
The sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone reverberates in my ear.
Blood sprays over the top of my head. The sword at my neck slowly slides away as Dupre’s large body falls backwards with a loud thump.
Acker grabs me by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”
I squint up at him. “Yeah.”
He tries to wipe away the blood dripping into my face, before rubbing his hand clean against the leg of his pants. “I’m sorry.”
I let out a deep breath, trying and failing to stop the shake in my hands and voice. “We’ll call it even.”
He sputters out a choked laugh, a smile pulling at the side of his mouth … but then he’s gone, deflecting the incoming blade in the nick of time. It misses the intended target—Acker’s gut—but Kai’s still able to bury the blade halfway into Acker’s side before ripping it free.
Blood blooms from the spot.
Kai jabs with the blade again, but Acker stops it with embarrassing ease by grabbing Kai’s wrist. He uses his other hand to grab Kai by the throat, an eerie calm settling over him as he takes the blade and points it at the hollow
of Kai’s throat.
“Don’t kill him.”
Kai’s gaze swings to me as I approach, but I’m not looking at him.
I place a hand on Acker’s shoulder. “Acker.” It’s the first time I’ve called him by his name, and he’s slow to turn his head away from Kai, eyes void of any emotion as he meets my gaze. I swallow my fear, knowing this is a big ask considering Kai just tried to kill him. “Please,” I beg.
Taking in a deep breath, life slowly coming back to his eyes, he pulls the sharp point away from Kai’s neck. Kai’s relief is short-lived as Acker jerks him close, wrapping his forearm around Kai’s neck and cutting off his air. Kai fights, but Acker maintains his hold until Kai’s face turns a nasty shade of red, then white, before his eyes fall closed. Acker drops Kai unceremoniously to the dock.
“Thank you,” I tell him, but he isn’t interested in my gratitude. He inspects Kai’s dagger before lifting his shirt to stow it in his waistband. I only get a glimpse of the fresh cut in his side before he covers it again.
My pulse finally slows enough for the sound of music to register in my ears again. It seems the same happens for Acker because we both burst into motion simultaneously.
I finish untying the boat from the dock and Acker retrieves the paddles, handing me one as we push off, Acker stowing our supplies under the bow seat while I navigate us away from the dock. A flurry of motion catches my eye, and I spot the guard with chains around his neck stumbling to his feet.
“I thought you killed him,” I say to Acker, getting his attention.
The guard shoots us a murderous glare as he turns to the stairs leading to the Main. Standing, Acker slides Kai’s dagger back into his hand. He adjusts his grip on the weapon then slings it toward the guard. There’s a discernible zip as it cuts through the air, followed by an abrupt smacking sound when it slices into the back of the guard’s head.
Teetering on a middle step, the guard spins in place, giving us a view of the blade’s tip projecting from an eye socket. He wobbles around completely before falling down the remaining flight of stairs, landing face down.
Acker clicks his tongue against his teeth, stretching out his arm. “Aim is off.”
I watch in astonished horror as the dagger dislodges itself from the dead guard and flies back toward Acker. He grunts when it smacks into his palm, as if the retrieval taxed him, and wipes the weapon clean on his pant leg.
Neither of us speak as we each grab an oar and begin to row the boat out from under the grove. The light of the Main is bright on the water, and we work overtime to move into the shadows.
Music chases us for miles and miles as we row into the night.
