The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

Author:Adrienne Young [Young, Adrienne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2019-09-01T23:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

I sat beside Inge in the meadow, digging up bulbs of fennel in silence. The sun was high and heatless, reflecting off the frozen ground. I pushed the spade into it, prying the earth up and raking through it with my hands.

The skin around my wrist was raw again, the bruise on my face sore when I moved my mouth.

Inge picked up a bulb and dusted it off with her fingers. “I’m sorry about what happened.”

I sat back on my knees, taking it from her and setting it into the basket beside me. It wasn’t her fault, but I wanted to be angry at her anyway. I’d had my chance to get to the river and now it was gone.

She watched me, setting her hands into her lap. “I think we should talk.” She picked at the dirt beneath her fingernails. “About Iri.” She looked up to meet my eyes. “I know who you are, Eelyn.”

I recoiled, my mind pulling thoughts so quickly I could hardly follow them. I searched the meadow around us instinctively, looking for a threat. But we were alone.

She didn’t move, watching me. “I haven’t told anyone.”

The beat of my heart knocked in my chest. I tried to read her. Tried to decide what she was planning to do about it. How much she knew. “How?”

“When Fiske brought you home, I knew there was more to it than what he told me. When you mentioned your family and your age I had my suspicions. I thought you might be the sister he told us about. But I wasn’t sure.” She pulled in a long breath and let it out.

I stood, walking out a ways until I had a good view of the meadow. If she’d planned to trap me, this would be a good place. I had nowhere to hide. “He told you about me?”

“He did, but he didn’t have to. You look just like him.”

“Did he tell you I was his fighting mate?” My eyes were still on the tree line.

A sad smile lifted on her lips. “No, he didn’t.”

I faced her. She sat with her skirt spread around her in the grass. I swallowed hard. “I lost him in the fight. I turned around and he was just … gone. I was looking for him.” I sucked in a breath. “And I saw him just as he went over the edge. I couldn’t reach him.” I sank back down beside her. “What are you going to do?”

“I thought that if I let you escape, the danger would be gone. But I was wrong. It took years for this village to trust Iri. If the Riki knew that he and Fiske are lying about who you are or that they are trying to help you, they would kill them. I won’t tell the Tala or anyone else. After the thaw, you’ll run away. You’ll go back to the Aska and we won’t come after you.” She went back to digging and the pain surfaced on her face.

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