Page 164 of Ash and Feather

I called attention to those ugly marks, even, effortlessly flexing my magic enough that it brought divine symbols to my skin and set the old scars alight.

I was no longer ashamed to let these things burn brightly.

Proof of my power, not my mistakes.

“It does destroy,” I agreed. “But it can also forge and reshape things. Weld them back together. And there is more to me than the fire he gave me. More to my power, my plans, my story—all of it. And I can prove it; I just need you to trust me.”

Her eyes slowly returned to mine. She stared at me and my glowing scars for a long moment. Inhaled deeply, and said, “You’ve changed.” Her lips quivered with emotion before splitting into a crooked smile. “When did you become the brave one, while I became the coward?”

“You aren’t a coward. You’ve only been doing what you thought you needed to do to survive.” I fought the urge to reach for the scar near my heart—the one scar, the one mistake I was still struggling to make peace with. “I know the feeling. It takes courage to survive that. And it will takemorecourage to change things.”

The clouds outside moved, more of them sliding over the sun, taking away what little light we had. The birds chattered louder in the sudden shadow, and a breeze stirred—everything felt like it was shifting.

Whether for better or worse, I wasn’t sure.

“I’m trying, Karys,” she whispered. “I am. I just don’t know how to start. How to see beyond surviving the next battle, or trust your gods the way you do.”

The chasm between us was cracking wider—dangerously wider—while the edges of it threatened to cave in.

I leapt across it anyway, taking her hand as I said, “You could just…meet them. Meet the God of Fire, at least. Maybe that would help.”

She was quiet for a painfully long moment before she replied. “He’s close by?”

A corner of my mouth lifted. “He’s hardly let me out of his sight since everything that happened at our old house.”

“Well,” she said after another pause, forcing an obvious lightness into her tone, “I suppose it’s a good thing you havesomeonelooking after you, if I can’t be around to keep you out of trouble.” Despite her light tone, her expression remained wary, her eyes darting to the window over and over as if anticipating a fiery entrance from the god in question.

“He isn’t going to smite you,” I said dryly. “I won’t let him.”

“As ifI’dlet him,” she said with a smirk, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and striding toward the doorway without hesitation. Back to her usual confident self, just like that.

Once outside, she surveyed the companions who had ridden in with her—both of whom remained on the distant hilltop—and she gave them a signal of some kind.

Then she whistled low, calling her horse.

I watched her adjusting the saddle and headgear with an anxious ball growing in the pit of my stomach; she hadn’t really given me an answer, had she?

Was this it?

Were we done, just like that?

She swung into the saddle. I trailed to her side, staring up at her just like I had so many times when I was young. Only, I wasn’t begging her to me with her, now.

She looked ready to bolt. To set off on whatever mission awaited her.

I tried to make peace with the possibility, to steel myself against the oncoming hurt.

But she didn’t leave.

“This God of Fire…he was the younger brother of the king in his mortal life, wasn’t he?” She spoke without really looking atme, and continued without giving me a chance to answer. “So I likely would have met him eventually, anyway, as long as I have business with Fallon. We might as well get it over with.”

The knot in my stomach loosened a bit.

I focused my thoughts in Dravyn’s direction once more, summoning him as calmly as I could.

Almost instantly, he emerged onto the road in the distance, on foot, leading both of our horses. A burst of warmth flared through the air as our gazes met, causing my sister to gasp.

“You’ll get used to that,” I said.

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