Chapters (61)
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Ashyn: One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Moria: Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Ashyn: Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Moria: Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Ashyn: Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Moria: Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Ashyn: Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Moria: Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- Fifty-four
- Fifty-five
- About the Author
- Back Ad
- Credits
- About the Publisher
Ashyn felt her insides flutter. Was this not the stuff of bards’ tales? The maiden who captured the heart of a rogue, who inspired him to rise to the role of warrior, devoted to her protection? Such pretty words. And they would be so much prettier if she didn’t hear them in that same soft voice he’d used when he’d meekly thanked Moria for helping him get locked up in a dungeon cell.
“Do you play the lute?” she asked.
He blinked, that soulful look evaporating. “What?”
“The lute. Lies and false flattery go so much better with the strains of a lute. You ought to consider becoming a bard. You have a certain rakish charm. An eye patch would help, too.”
His face darkened.
“Yes, definitely an eye patch,” she continued. “You can concoct some tale of tragic bravery to explain how you lost your eye. Wait—I know one. You were maimed when you rescued a Seeker from the ruins of her ravaged village and escorted her through the Wastes. Then you heroically delivered her to court while expecting nothing in return.” She paused. “You do expect nothing in return, I presume?”
“More gratitude and less mockery would be nice. But yes, if you insist, I will admit that I do hope for something. I hope to survive the Wastes, and I realized we both stand a better chance of that together.”
“And that is all?”
“You may not wish to believe I came back for you, but I did, Ashyn. I was concerned. For you. A Seeker is a very valuable member of the empire.”
“Valuable?”
“I meant important,” he said. “It’s the same thing.”
“Not quite. You came back because you realized you had walked away from an opportunity that could turn you from pauper to lord, from exile to hero.”
“I came back for you, Ashyn.”
He said it with breathtaking sincerity, and she looked at him there, silhouetted against the pale moonlight, sword in hand, a scratch across his dirty cheek only making him seem more raffish.
Truly, Ashyn? Truly?
She heard her sister’s voice and imagined Moria shaking her head. Ashyn silenced her. Just because she was admiring the scenery did not mean she would step blindly into the quicksand.
“Yes, I’m sure you did come back for me,” she said. “Except I would word it differently. You came back for the Seeker. And I don’t care. If you get me to the nearest town, you deserve that reward.”
He eyed her, wary now.