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I hesitated but felt tongue-tied. I was still afraid to speak, and even if I did, it would probably scare the man even further. Instead, I passed him in a hurry, Cait close behind me.
“The poor man,” Cait said after he went by. “He looked at you like you were about to slap some branks on him.”
I swallowed, still struggling to accept the reality that I could be so feared, but some of these people had their lives and families destroyed by Enforcers who looked like me.
Up ahead, the Academy’s dome rose above the rooftops, an imposing building that was far higher in elevation than any other inside the wall. Once we got closer, we’d be able to take a fork to the west and head in a straight line to my home instead of taking a roundabout path through the spiraling maze-like streets surrounding the Academy.
I paused to stare at the dome, remembering the last time I’d been there—my coronation. I wondered, once more, if I’d done the right thing by running from the throne.
As I stood there, a rumble came from the streets below, building gradually, the noise rising. It sounded like voices rising in fear . . . or excitement, maybe. It vibrated through my feet and I turned around.
“What’s happening?” Cait asked, her eyes darting around the street as if preparing to run.
“I don’t know,” I said.
The noise grew louder. People came out of the shops and buildings, gathering in the streets. We all looked downhill, toward the sound.
Cait and I craned our necks to see what the fuss was about.
The noise rose and the crowd grew, pushing us forward whether we wanted it or not.
Two horses appeared in the streets through the crowd, along with the carriage they pulled.
“Really?” Cait said, annoyed. “All this fuss for a?—”
I put my hand on her arm. “Look!” I said.
It wasn’t just any carriage. A large blue horse was painted on the side—the Brennin insignia.
My heart pounded.
“Mar—Graves!” Cait hissed beside me, pulling me by the elbow toward the side of the road. “Let’s get out of here!”
I knew she was right. We shouldn’t stand there and risk Maeve Brennin seeing either of us, assuming she was the passenger, but I couldn’t look away.
Shouts and applause rose in a wave, starting down the street and growing even louder, the cheers following the horses as if emanating from the carriage itself.
As it approached, I could only stare. In this sea of faces, there was probably no need to hide my mustached mug, but that didn’t stop me from feeling exposed and terrified.
What if . . .
The carriage slowed as the driver skirted around the crowd, giving me a good view through the open window.
It took me only a split second to recognize the passenger.
It wasn’t Maeve. Graham Brennin had returned.
Chapter
Fifteen
A warm shivertraveled down my body, sending me into a state of shock, as Graham’s solemn blue eyes roved over the scene. He still had his scruffy facial hair from the islands, which didn’t fit into this clean-cut city, but I wasn’t complaining.
I knew that face so well. It was thoroughly imprinted on my heart, haunting me every time I closed my eyes, but there was nothing like seeing him right in front of me. For one fleeting moment, we met eyes. I almost forgot I didn’t look like myself.
I wondered if he’d left Tramore by choice.
If so, why had he chosen to return? I hoped it was for me, but that was far from likely.
