She whipped her lavender hair in my direction. “Of course we have time. We always have time for coffee, Tez.”
I rolled my eyes. “You were supposed to eat before we leave.”
“Well, I didn’t. I’m not used to eating at the ass-crack-of-dawn, so we’re stopping.” I went to protest, but she cut me off, “I’m human, remember? You don’t want me passing out from starvation, and then you’d no longer have a guide to lead you through Maine. Besides,” she drawled slowly as a wide grin stretched over her face, and she grabbed onto my arm, “Ichihana would have your balls if he knew you were in town and didn’t stop in to say hi.”
Kallon was walking toward us and instantly perked up. “Yay! We’re going to see Ichi? I’ve been dying for his ramen.”
Sav rubbed her belly with her free hand. “Ramen and coffee, the perfect mix.”
“The weirdest mix,” Dove replied as she approached. I went to her tent last night and told her not to come with us, but she shrugged it off. I knew this would be hard for her, but I was happy to see her here regardless. I hadn’t put much thought into what we were actually doing, what it would mean to see our mother’s grave for the first time. Selfishly, I was happy my sister would be with me. A small part of me thought it was wrong that Arcane wasn’t with us too. We all loved our mother. She was the only reason the three of us were so close, and Arcane took her death the hardest. Hebecame a shell of who he used to be, worse than Dovelyn and I ever were.
Rumor and Sie were trailing behind my sister. Scottie was walking a few steps ahead of him, looking ready to bite his head off before her gaze drifted to Savannah’s hand still on my arm.
“She’s not going,” the Dark Prince announced.
“Yes, I am,” Scotlind seethed.
“It’ll be too dangerous. She’s lived as a nix her entire life. She isn’t trained like the rest of you.”
Scottie bristled, but I didn’t miss the quick glance she casted down at both of her zeroes. I was livid. No way would this prick make her feel incompetent or less of herself. I wanted her to train so she could reach her full potential, not because I thought she was lacking.
I took a step toward him, stepping away from Savannah. “You do not get to decide who goes and who doesn’t. This is a free group, everyone gets to make the choice for themselves. And,” I added, my voice lowering to a growl, “I trained her myself. Sheisfucking capable, so if you ever say otherwise again, you’ll find yourself on your ass.”
“You can’t beat me up.”
“If you ever insinuate she isn’t capable ofanythingever again, I would take my time knocking you on your ass. But I didn’t mean me.” I settled my gaze on Rumor. “I’m sure she’d be happy to prove you wrong.”
I gave a half smile as the prince glowered at me. Scottie’s eyes trailed to my cheek. I always found her staring at my scar. She wasn’t the only one, everyone gawked at it, but most did in disgust. Scottie’s assessment was different, itfeltdifferent. She seemed more intrigued and curious about it than anything else, like she almost preferred it.
“One rule at this camp, Noren, don’t ever use the word nix. Better yet, don’t ever insinuate anyone of a lesser rank isn’t as strong as someone with a higher rank. Sav has nopowers, and she can hold her own against the Advenians here.”
Sie’s dark eyes flicked to where Savannah was standing with her arms crossed. He stared at her with an assessing gaze, one she wasn’t backing down from.
“It’s an open party then?” he asked. “Everyone can decide for themselves if they want to come?”
“Yes. It’s Rumor’s decision if she wants to go. Not yours. Not mine. Not anyone else buthers.”
“Then I’m coming too.”
I realized my mistake as soon as Sie said it.
Savannah clapped her hands together. “Great. Now that that’s settled, let’s go. I want to be at Ichi’s restaurant before the sun is up. If I don’t get coffee in my system soon, you’re all going to regret it.”
With that, Sav strutted through the shield with no fear that she was leading our kind’s most wanted Advenians.
I gestured to the pile of winter clothes Savannah just laid out. Everyone piled on as many layers as we could before following her out into the thick snow.
Through the shield, I could still make out the low sounding beeps with my heightened hearing. Six noises sounded, letting the border control know we left the camp, and I prayed we weren’t making a stupid decision by going.
As soon as Scottie stepped through, she turned to stare back at it. I probably took for granted how well the shield worked, how real it all looked. On this side, it appeared again as a massive cliff right into the ocean.
It was a quiet walk to Ichi’s ramen shop and one we made frequently, or we used to. Only this time the tension was palpable. Everyone was on edge except Savannah. It wasn’t because she didn’t know the danger she put herself in, more like she didn’t care. It never bothered her. She was the first to volunteer for anything, driving Dravenburg mad. Whereas her brother,Wells, was the opposite. He rarely left the camp and was usually isolated by himself in his lab.
“Thank all things almighty,” Sav groaned when Ichi’s sign came into view. His shop was located a mile from town, but it didn’t make it any less crowded. Everyone gambled the walk, even when the ground was frozen over.
Most of the human population would drive from their homes to get his ramen. But the entrance to Brighta was through a dense forest, and Dravenburg claimed he didn’t need or want a vehicle. Not when he had grown up his whole life inside the camp. On the off chance he had to use one, he’d borrow Ichi’s.
We’d been coming to Brighta since before Savannah and Wells were even born. Hell, before Dravenburg was born too. The camp was passed down to him from his father and then his father before that. We knew our mother’s grave was on mortal soil, but it was a guess Dravenburg was privy to the location.
