JesseThe fire had long since died, but I was still awake, seated in my wooden chair and watching the embers fade. I hadn't slept in so long. Not since she had arrived. How could I have managed to sleep when things had just finally gotten exciting?The fire was nearly completely out when the scout a
I watched his gaze become distant as he was lost to some memory. He refilled his goblet once more before he spoke again.“Do you know what it’s like,” Jesse finally said, voice lower now, almost distracted, “to grow up in the gutters of a city that pretends it doesn’t have street rats? To be ignored
EvelynI smelled the dinner before I saw it. Even before I stepped into the tent, the scent of roasted root vegetables, something vaguely resembling grilled meat, and stale, reheated bread filled my nose. Seeing the plethora of choices set before me confirmed my assumptions: This was the best fare t
LoganI didn’t say a word the whole ride back. What could I say? There was no way to describe my pressing sense of shame and fear.So I did not speak. Not to Alex or to the guards who trailed us in grim silence. I didn’t even speak to instruct the horse I’d borrowed and half-destroyed galloping out
“Lead the way,” I said, cutting him short. A chance to be useful in the middle of this chaotic turn of events was like a lifeline. The possibility of saving lives was why I had initially ventured into the rogue camp, after all.The rogue boy blinked, startled by my eagerness. When he mutely turned t
EvelynThe ropes fell away with a soft snap.The relief was immediate. I rubbed my wrists slowly. The deep grooves left by hours of tension and trying to break free still pulsed red and raw across my skin.The rogue guard who cut me loose didn’t meet my eyes. He just looked to Jesse for further inst