It won’t be long before we get to the market now, and all I feel is unease.
Graylen, Adrian, and I walk side by side—both of them quiet. Dog—Soren—hasn’t strayed more than a few paces away from me. He’s been trotting so close that my hand keeps brushing the top of his fuzzy neck, and that at least settles the pit in my stomach.
“It’s hard being back here,”I send into Graylen’s mind, admitting the one thing I was fighting to avoid.
My head is quiet—too quiet—my words met with a buzzing silence.
I glance at Graylen out of the corner of my eye, and his gaze slides to mine instantly. His brows knit together, mouth pursed as if he’s trying to figure me out.
That’s when it hits me. He can’t hear me anymore. Not with this collar around my neck blocking not only my magic, but my connection to him. It’s like when he was in the Vale, when there was a Graylen-sized gap in my heart.
Adrian walks between us, oblivious to the fear and frustration rising in my chest.
My heart begins to beat faster. Images of Graylen bound in chains of ice, his shirt tattered and eyes hollow, barrel into the forefront of my mind.
Graylen’s eyes narrow slightly, our gazes still holding as we walk only paces apart—but it might as well be oceans. His jaw flexes, as if sensing the turmoil rolling through me.
But there’s nothing he can do, not right now.
Not when the story we’re spinning is that I came back to Crea for Adrian.
I tear my eyes away from him and palm the dagger at my thigh to keep my hand from reaching out to him.
“Are you ready for this?” Graylen asks Adrian in a low rumble, the soldiers in front and behind us dispersed enough that they can’t hear. “We don’t know what we’re walking into here.”
My spine straightens, preparing to face my old life head-on. There will be a flurry of marketgoers we’ll have to wade through. We’ll pass the ships I used to look longingly at, dreaming of a way to hop on one and never return.
I found a way to leave, and never did I think I’d come back if given the chance. Yet here I am. Back in this place Reichardt sent me to, where I rebelled in small ways, using his coin to buy flowers and food.
Visiting Linnick.
Who will have replaced his stand by now? Someone would’ve claimed it within days of realizing it was empty. Probably some fake gold and cheap jewels, or maybe freshly baked bread. My chest tightens.
“You don’t think I can do it,” Adrian challenges, drawing my attention back to the present. He shoots Graylen a brief look, a brow raised.
Graylen sighs, his hands slipping into his pockets as he stares down the path ahead. “I wouldn’t be putting her life in danger if I didn’t at least havesomeconfidence in you,” he answers, his tone almost…nice.
Adrian huffs a hollow laugh and mutters a barely audible, “Thanks.”
The brief interaction is a far cry from friends, but at least they aren’t at each other’s throats.
A cool breeze brushes against my face with a shift in the air. Even as the sun is rising, it’s as if it forgot to bring the warmth along with it. It’s the promise of a brisk day—the promise thateven with the sun shining, there will be no reprieve from the chilly nights.
My eyes are fixed on the ground, thoughts restless, when Adrian stutters to a halt. It takes me a second to realize he’s not walking anymore, so I pause a few paces ahead of him, turning to see what he’s doing.
His face is twisted into a grimace, his brows knitted and mouth pinched—skin drained of color.
Adrian’s gaze is frozen on a spot behind me, just over my shoulder. I spin back around, muscles tensing. I reach for my dagger.
But my breath catches—fingers loosening around the leather hilt—as I take in the view before me. As I realize what made Adrian stop.
The Runnswick Market.
A place that I could count on toalwaysbebustling with tradesmen and travelers. The scent of fresh fruit mingling with the floral stands in one area, while salted aromas wafted off of chilled fish and dried meats.
I used to get lost in this market—could trick my guard into leaving me unattended so I could spend time with Linnick or buy flowers with what was left over after acquiring everything off Reichardt’s list.
Even this early in the morning, there would already be ships offloading travelers or loading visitors setting sail for home. The tradesmen would’ve been set up since before first light, already haggling with the newcomers.
