Page 16 of Heart of Defiance

I study him. I can't see any obvious dedication sacrifices on his body, but then, I can't see Iko's either. "Do you have a gift?"

It takes him a moment to answer, as if he needs to decide how to. "I have a knack for judging who can handle what tasks." His bright blue gaze slides to me. "That's the main reason I'm here. Every instinct Creaden gave me says you can see this mission through."

My heart skips a beat. He's sure I can do this—stick it to the Darium empire and survive?Iwasn't even totally convinced.

But he believes it enough to have followed me on this perilous quest.

“You’ve accomplished a lot already,” Jostein goes on, “even if I’ve given you a hard time about the risks you took. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a soldier as brave as you’ve proven yourself to be.”

My skin flushes under his attention. I don't think any man has ever seemed this genuinely appreciative of me, let alone one as breathtaking as him.

I know what it's like to be lusted after. During my teen years, there were a couple of boys from town who managed to persuade me to let them get close... only to kick me aside after they'd gotten the itch out of their system, because of course the girl who was shunned even by her godlen wasn't worthy of anything but a rollabout or two. After the second time, I learned to keep my distance no matter what cajoling words a man murmured.

Jostein's interest doesn't feel anything like that. I don't know if he sees me as anything beyond a capable vigilante, but that's still more credit than anyone's given me in nearly a decade.

"I'll do my best to prove your instincts right," I find myself saying.

Iko flashes me another grin. "I have total faith in you too." He lifts his chin toward Landric. "What about you? Any hidden talents we should know about?"

I can't help wondering what my childhood playmate will say. Everyone in town talked about who dedicated to which of the lesser gods, so I know he picked Jurnus, but I don't remember hearing that he asked for a magical talent from the godlen of travel and communication.

Landric shakes his head. "There wasn't anything I could think of that I wanted enough to make the trade. Mostly I was hoping for Jurnus's guidance." He lets out a rough laugh. "I suppose he's giving me a good shove toward exploring the world now."

"The gods do work in mysterious ways. We have plenty of colleagues who forgo a divine exchange. After all, it's not as if a sacrifice is a guarantee."

Iko's voice halts abruptly with a darted glance toward me, his smile faltering. As if he's concerned that I'll be insulted by him touching on one of the most basic facts about my life.

I wait for someone to ask what I requested that Inganne judged as overreaching or why I think she denied me. Instead, there's only another silence more awkward than anything else.

Jostein adjusts our course so we can cross a stream at a rickety bridge. Reaching the dirt road on the other side, I kick aside lumps of dried horse dung that bounce into the grass.

We've given the town a wide berth, but a smoky scent taints the air even out here, even a day later. I squint, but I can't make out any of the landmarks amid the stretch of forest and jutting rocks that surround most of the town.

No temple spires. No memorial on the hill.They couldn’t have burned the limestone, but it wouldn’t have taken much to knock it down.

Are some of the other buildings still smoldering even now? Is there anything left it'd be worth returning for?

My little cabin might have gone untouched, set off from the rest of the town as it is, but the thought of living there next to the ruin makes my stomach roil.

The men have followed my gaze. Landric's jaw hastightened, maybe thinking about his family's inventory turned to ashes or so damaged it may as well be.

Everyone from town will be starting over from scratch, but most have concrete skills they can quickly bring to bear. A merchant's talent for sales can’t matter much without merchandise to peddle.

Iko wets his lips. I expect him to make some flippant remark to try to ease the tension, but instead his voice comes out cautious. "The way your neighbors talked about you—have they always been that harsh?"

Landric's expression twitches, but I don't see any point in dressing up the situation. "No. Not until I became a burden. I'd lost both my parents by the time I was eight, and my aunt and uncle weren't happy about taking me in. Then my dedication sacrifice was rejected, and no one wanted to associate with a girl even the gods had shunned. Wouldn't want the ill-favor to rub off on them."

Jostein frowns. "Just because you asked too much once doesn't mean the gods have rejectedyou."

I shrug. "Sometimes it seems like they did before I even made my sacrifice."

Iko's tone turns unexpectedly fierce. "Dariu has taken too many good people from this country. That's on them, not the gods."

I look at him, startled by his vehemence, and he grimaces as if in apology. "One of my good friends when I was growing up—we were running around in the street, and she tripped and bumped into a Darium soldier walking by. The prick yelled that she was a pickpocket and stabbed her before she could even get out an apology."

A chill wraps around my gut.

Jostein is nodding, his expression even more solemn than usual. "My uncle—he ran a tavern. A squadron came in andstarted harassing the barmaids. He and my cousin stepped in, and they murdered both of them."

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