1564024802

The silence that fell now was different
from before. Shaking—shuddering.
Manon glanced at the Thirteen to find tears
in Ghislaine’s eyes as she took in the brand on
Asterin’s womb. Tears in the eyes of all of
them, who had not known.
And it was for those tears, which Manon
had never seen, that she faced the host again.
“You will be killed in this war, or after it. And
you will never see our homeland again.”
“What is it that you want, Blackbeak?”
Petrah asked from the archway.
“Ride with us,” Manon breathed. “Fly with
us. Against Morath. Against the people who
would keep you from your homeland, your
future.” Murmuring broke out again. Manon
pushed ahead, “An Ironteeth-Crochan
alliance. Perhaps one to break our curse at
last.”
Again, that shuddering silence. Like a