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Does the bird feel the weight of its wings?
I inhaled, felt sense return I didn’t have to take hold of the power It clung to lorious burst, I released the light The bright sky fractured, letting the night back in, and all around us, sparks fell like fading fireworks, a drea petals blown loose from a thousand flowers
The heat relented The sea calether and wove them into a soft sheen that pulsed over the deck of the ship
Stur, their ht have been awe or fear Mal had me crushed to his chest, his faced pressed to asps
"Mal," I said quietly He clutched hter I squeaked "Mal, I can’t breathe"
Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at ht disappeared entirely Only then did he ease his grip
Tolya lit a laot to their feet Sturaudy folds of his teal coat The Fabrikator looked like she was going to be sick, but it was harder to read the twins’ faces Their golden eyes were alight with so I couldn’t naht wobble to his voice, "you certainly kno to put on a show"
Mal bracketed my face with his hands He kissed ainst hiain
"You’re all right?" he asked His voice was rough
"Yes," I replied
But that wasn’t quite true I felt the collar at my throat, the pressure of the fetter at my wrist My other arm felt naked I was incomplete
STURMHOND ROUSED HIS CREW, and ell on our way as dawn broke We couldn’t be sure how far the light I’d created iven away our location We needed to move fast
Every creanted a look at the second amplifier Some ary, others just curious, but Mal was the one I orried about He watched ht lose control When dusk fell and ent belowdecks, I cornered hieways
"I’m fine," I said "Really"
"How do you know?"
"I just do I can feel it"
"You didn’t see what I saw It was--"
"It got away from me I didn’t knohat to expect"
He shook his head "You were like a stranger, Alina Beautiful," he said "Terrible"
"It won’t happen again The fetter is a part of s or my heart"
"Your heart," he said flatly
I took his hand in ainst my chest "It’s still the same heart, Mal It’s still yours"
I lifted ht over his face He flinched He can never understand your power, and if he does, he will only co’s voice froht to be afraid
"I can do this," I said gently
He shut his eyes and turned his face toward the sunlight that radiated froainst ainst his skin
We stood that way, in silence, until the watch bell rang