A man in a hooded cloak dragged a hefty waggon through the grasslands. His steps were light and easy, as if the weight of the waggon were nothing to him. Dressed as a warrior, he wore a simple blouse and matching pants with simple leather armour. As the wind picked up, his hood slipped down, revealing messy white hair that was too long to be considered short and too short to be considered long. His eyes were a pretty brown, and the baldric at his side was empty.

  “I hate the both of you. How do you manage to get our horses killed? Are you that incompetent?” He snapped, his annoyance clear. Dragging the waggon wasn’t difficult for him, considering his monstrous strength, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed how tedious it was.

  “Next time, don’t leave me in charge of the horses. It’s strange you thought that was a good idea to begin with,” his companion said lazily. She lounged on numerous colourful cushions, a book in her hand. Despite the fact that they were travelling, her outfit was questionable—flexible, sheer material that clung to her curves and moved with her. Her long lashes and permanent smirk made her appear both bored and amused. Her eyes were a stunning jade green, and her deep brown skin shimmered under the sunlight that peaked through the open entrance of the waggon. Wavy white hair was tossed casually over her shoulders down to her waist, and her pointed ears were adorned with three pearls each. Anyone would think she and the man pulling the waggon were twins if not for the vast difference in the scale of their beauty. While he wasn’t ugly, her beauty was simply incomprehensible.

  “She’s right. What were you thinking? This is Neveah we’re talking about,” came the low laugh of the second companion in the waggon. He wore a short black robe tied at the waist and arms, with loose black trousers secured at the ankles. A string of large white jade beads hung around his neck, and his long black hair covered his face. He sat against the waggon, his arms crossed, and his floppy rabbit ears hung down in front of his face.

  “Right, remind me to leave you with them next time,” the man pulling the carriage grumbled.

  “Don’t do that. I’m not fit to care for horses either,” the rabbit man replied casually.

  “What kind of master are you? This is favouritism!” Zarek snapped, finally addressing the situation by name.

  “Zarek, stop complaining. If you can do it, just do it,” Neveah said, rolling her eyes. She clearly didn’t appreciate having her reading interrupted by his whining.

  “You can’t be serious,” Zarek muttered, feeling like the two of them were colluding against him.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll reach the beast city soon enough,” the rabbit man said, tugging gently at his ears as if bidding time.

  “You say that, but we’re completely off course! How are we getting there?” Zarek was losing his patience. “Are you getting old and senile, Kaladin?”

  Kaladin simply smirked and didn’t bother retorting.

  “Oh…” Neveah said suddenly, closing her book. She took a deep breath in and out, and for a brief moment, her green eyes flickered gold. After a few seconds of silence, she picked up her book again. “She’s just ahead… though she might need help.”

  “She?” Zarek asked, but his question was quickly answered by the faint sound of a low, rumbling thud. The vibration moved through the earth, growing louder.

  Another thud. Then more—thud, thud, thud.

  “Is that a stone giant?” Zarek asked, his curiosity piqued.

  “Yeah, it’s quite big. Maybe there’s a shell core inside. Do you need it?” Neveah asked Kaladin without looking up from her book.

  “No, but I should probably help,” Kaladin said with a sigh, pulling himself out of his comfortable position in the waggon. He picked up a staff just slightly taller than him. Compared to Zarek, Kaladin wasn’t very tall—only his rabbit ears reached the top of Zarek’s head.

  “I’ll bring her back. Wait here,” Kaladin said.

  Zarek welcomed the break, and as much as he wanted to know who they were talking about, he figured he would meet this ‘she’ soon enough. Kaladin bent his knees and shot up from the ground, leaping into the sky. His figure quickly shrank as he soared through the grasslands, heading towards the disturbance.

  ˋ?-?-?ˊ

  Hadassah and Rahn floated a distance from the towering stone giant. Rahn’s golden eyes flickered with uncertainty as he watched the beast, his instincts telling him to retreat, especially with the sun hanging so high in the sky.

  “We should just leave,” Rahn suggested, his gaze shifting to Hadassah. “It’s daylight. I’m not strong.”

  Hadassah, however, kept her eyes locked on the giant, a smile creeping up her lips as excitement bubbling in her chest.

  “A shell core would be worth it,” she muttered, glancing at Rahn. “If we can kill it, we’ll be set for supplies for a long time.”

  Rahn frowned, his concern growing. She could not even catch a rabbit; did she really think she could hunt a stone giant? “Do you really want to fight it?”

  Hadassah nodded, greed flashing in her eyes. “I do. Now drop me and distract it.”

  Rahn hesitated. Maybe she was crazy, but what could he do? He set Hadassah down and darted towards the giant. He didn’t have much power during the day, but he trusted her enough to try. As he flew forward, Hadassah scanned the area, her eyes locking on a large, solid, jagged rock embedded in the dirt.

  ‘Perfect.’

  She rushed to it, grunting as she struggled to pull the large rock free. It was heavier than expected, but she managed to drag it into position.

  “Rahn, now!” she shouted, setting the rock in place.

  From the ground, the shadows from the grass blades moved in mass, congregating around the giant’s feet. They snaked around the giant’s legs. The thick tendrils wrapping around its stone limbs like constricting ropes, pulling tighter. The beast groaned, its massive form unsteady as it struggled to maintain its balance. For a brief moment, Rahn looked back, worry clouding his eyes.

  “You’re not running!” he shouted, panic seeping into his voice. The giant was about to fall, but she remained standing by the rock.

  “Just wait!” Hadassah called back, refusing to move. She’d timed everything perfectly. She just had to see it through.

  The ground shook beneath her as the giant, its balance now lost, began to tip backward. Rahn’s panic escalated. His instincts screamed at him to rush to her, but he hesitated, hoping she knew what she was doing.

  “Hadassah!” Rahn screamed again as the giant’s body came crashing down, a thunderous sound spreading through the grasslands.

  Rahn watched in horror, his eyes widening before he rushed towards the fallen monster, his voice trembling. “Hadassah!”

  Frantically, he clawed at the rubble, moving rocks with desperation. The silence was unbearable until a voice called out from underneath the wreckage.

  “I’m fine!”

  From a small gap between the stones, Hadassah wriggled her way out, covered in dust but wearing a stupid triumphant grin.

  Rahn nearly collapsed to his knees in front of her, his hands shaking as he grabbed her arm. “You… you could’ve been killed!” His voice wavered, shock still gripping him.

  Hadassah merely chuckled, dusting herself off as if it were nothing. “I just needed to make sure the rock broke it’s neck,” she said, glancing back at the fallen giant. “The neck is the most fragile part, so it’s the best place to destroy. Now, find the shell core before it reforms.”

  She reached into her bag and pulled out the gold handpiece she had been carrying around, tossing it to Rahn. “This should help; if you click the ruby on the bottom, it should activate.” She helped him put it on; her expression was still casual, but Rahn was clearly shaken.

  “You could have—”

  “Rahn,” she interrupted. “I’m fine. Now get the core; we need it.”

  Rahn exhaled slowly, forcing himself to focus.

  He had to obey.

  He approached the giant’s chest, fixing the handpiece as he prepared to extract the core. Just before he could do anything, Hadassah’s voice rang out again.

  “Wait!”

  She ran up to him and took his hands in her, squeezing them. The pitch-black skin that adorned his hands and legs was rock hard. Pinching it, she waited to feel the pain and could feel nothing.

  Hadassah’s lips curled into a pleased grin, and she let his hand go, ignoring his now warm face. “Good. Now press the ruby. It’ll blow the giant’s chest open. Grab the core after.” Hadassah was familiar with five main types of artefacts. Attack types, versatile types, passive types, sirens, and living weapons.

  According to her father’s teachings, you could easily tell which was which based on design. A handpiece with gold nail guards that required secure attachment was undoubtedly an attack type.

  Climbing the giant, Rahn placed his gold-adorned hand on it’s chest and pressed the ruby on the handpiece against the stone. A blast shook the ground as the giant’s chest exploded in a burst of stone and dust. Among the shattered debris lay the glowing shell core. It was about the size of a carrot, iridescent and beautiful, reflecting the sunlight. Rahn retrieved it and brought it back to Hadassah. “This is perfect,” she said, holding the core up to the sun. “We’ll be set for—”

  Her voice trailed off as a shadow loomed over them. Rahn stiffened, standing close to Hadassah, ready to fight. Above them, hovering in the air, was a figure dressed in black with long, dark brown rabbit ears and a staff. Hadassah slid the core into her bag immediately, unwilling to have it taken by the stranger.

  “Well, you’ve certainly been busy,” the rabbit-eared man said, his voice filled with amusement. Slowly, he descended, landing with ease just a few feet away.

  Rahn moved in front of Hadassah, his golden eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Who are you?”

  The man tilted his head, offering a friendly smile. “Kaladin,” he replied, twirling his staff and tapping it twice against the ground. “Just a passing rabbit; I heard the noise and came here; are you both alright?”

  Hadassah found this floating rabbit beast man too menacing; nothing good could possibly come from answering him. So there was only one thing to do.“Rahn.” She whispered, taking his hand in hers. “Run.”

  Grabbing her under her arms, he shot up into the sky. His wings flapped desperately, pushing them away. Hadassah could not see it, but Rahn did. That rabbit wasn’t ordinary. In Rahn’s eyes, the air around the rabbit seemed to stand still; he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he was dangerous enough to kill them with a flick of his sleeves. No matter what reason he had to seek them out, Rahn had no interest in finding out.

  Kaladin watched them fly off, and in the blink of an eye, they were already a good distance away. He sighed as if they were doing something troublesome, a laugh escaping his lips as he launched himself forward, giving chase with effortless speed.

  Rahn glanced back, his heart pounding. Kaladin was catching up far too quickly, as if flying was second nature to him. He flapped his dark wings harder, trying to push himself and Hadassah further away, but Kaladin was still closing in on them like it was nothing.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “He’s gaining on us!” Rahn’s voice was tight with alarm. Hadassah adjusted herself so she could keep her eyes on the strange man at all times, her brows furrowed in frustration. Why was he chasing them? Either way, she wasn’t planning to be caught.

  “He’s faster than I thought. Damn it.”

  Rahn attempted to shake him off. He made a sharp dive towards the ground, hoping the sudden drop in altitude would throw Kaladin off course. They skimmed the tops of the grass, brushing so close that the tips whipped at their feet. Rahn pulled up again, spinning them in a dizzying loop. But no matter what Rahn did, Kaladin matched every movement with frightening ease, as if this were child’s play to him.

  “Give me the handpiece!” Hadassah shouted over the rushing wind.

  Rahn’s face twisted in exasperation, but he didn’t reply immediately. His silence made her realise exactly what was going through his mind.

  “I know, I know, but there’s no choice! If you do it, you’ll be distracted! Once I activate it, just fly; don’t worry about me! I’ll still be alive,” she said, her voice firm. There was no way she was getting captured by this stranger—no matter how innocent he seemed. This was no settlement, and his strange powers were unsettling. It was better to be safe than sorry.

  With reluctance, Rahn unclasped the handpiece from his wrist and handed it to her carefully so it wouldn’t slip from the speed of their flight. Hadassah snatched it, her fingers trembling slightly as she fastened it to her own wrist. The heat of the device immediately sent a jolt of discomfort up her arm, but she ignored it, her eyes locked on Kaladin, who was still closing in on them.

  Kaladin’s keen eyes caught her actions. His calm expression darkened slightly as he called out to her. “That’s not something you should be playing with. It’s dangerous.”

  Hadassah smirked. “No shit. Rahn, stop!” she commanded.

  Rahn obeyed without question, coming to a sudden halt mid-air. Kaladin stopped too, floating effortlessly just behind them, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the abrupt stop.

  Before Kaladin could fully process the shift, Rahn darted backwards towards him, closing the gap between them with a powerful burst of speed. In a split second, Hadassah lunged forward, slamming the handpiece onto Kaladin’s face.

  Kaladin’s eyes widened in surprise, his hand instinctively tightening around his staff, but he held back. The moment the device latched on, Hadassah’s eyes darkened with a calm, almost mad look that Kaladin found oddly fascinating.

  “Bye-bye,” she whispered, her voice low and taunting.

  The handpiece detonated with a deafening explosion. Shock waves rippled through the air, the force so strong that it knocked Hadassah and Rahn out of the sky. Rahn’s wings collapsed under the impact, sending them spiralling towards the ground at breakneck speed. Hadassah cursed under her breath; she’d used too much power, and an extreme, burning pain spread through her hand, but she grit her teeth, bracing herself for the fall.

  They collided with the ground hard, crashing into something solid—a waggon, its contents spilling everywhere from the impact. The waggon groaned under their weight, cushions and supplies flying around them.

  Hadassah groaned as she struggled to push herself up, her body aching from the fall. Beside her, Rahn was sprawled out, dazed, and clutching his left hand as if he were in pain.

  As the dust settled, a smooth, feminine voice broke through the chaos.

  “Well,” the voice drawled lazily, “that was quite the entrance.”

  Hadassah blinked, her vision blurry as she looked up. ‘The most beautiful woman on land,’ was the only thought that crossed her mind.

  Neveah was lounging on a pile of cushions, surprisingly unharmed and undisturbed by the shattered ceiling and pieces of wood that had embedded themselves in various plush pillows. Her green eyes glittered with amusement as she observed them. Her legs were crossed, and she had a book resting casually on her lap, as though two strangers hadn’t just come crashing down from the sky.

  Before Hadassah could respond, a shadow loomed over her. Slowly, Kaladin’s figure came into focus, still very much alive despite the explosion. His clothes were singed, and his long rabbit ears twitched in annoyance, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed.

  “Next time,” Kaladin muttered, dusting ash off his sleeves with a sigh, “maybe not my face; you can touch my chest all you want.” He shot Hadassah a mildly amused look before turning to Rahn. “You, too. A little warning would’ve been nice.” He spoke like he was scolding children.

  Hadassah was in disbelief. “How are you still alive?”

  Kaladin chuckled softly, the twinkling in his eyes making it seem like she was staring at the night sky. He lowered himself to stand on the edge of the waggon, his weight as light as a feather. “I’ve been through worse, believe me. But I’ll admit, you’re quite the handful. Maybe next time don’t use the Wyre, Princess.”

  The way he said it felt like they had merely been playing an intimate game. Hadassah felt her cheeks heat up as she watched his smile widen, ‘how dangerous’.

  Men like that who could make her feel so strange were dangerous.

  “Are you both happy? Now not only have we lost the horses, but our waggon is wrecked!” An angry voice interrupted them—a white haired man stood outside the waggon, pointing angrily at the two intruders. “The both of you better pay up!”

  Rahn did not appreciate being shouted at. Hadassah felt his annoyance immediately, the air around him darkening with murderous intent as if he was about to pounce and bite the man’s head off. Quickly, she grabbed Rahn’s arm with her good hand, and just like that, the tension dissolved as if it never existed. His lethal aura disappeared, and she sighed in relief before turning to confront the group.

  “Why are you chasing us? What do you want?” she demanded.

  Kaladin tugged lightly at one of his ears. “Chasing you? I wasn’t chasing you. I came to see if you needed help with the stone giant, but then you started running.”

  Hadassah squinted, her nose wrinkled in disbelief. Who would believe that? He clearly wanted to catch them!

  “Fine. This must be a misunderstanding. Let us go, and we’ll pay you for the waggon.”

  Kaladin hummed thoughtfully, resting his arms on his knees. “Are you sure you don’t need help? We’re headed to Vortigern, the beast city. If you’d like, we can drop you off there.”

  Hadassah’s ears perked up at the mention of the beast city. “You—you know the way to the beast city?”

  “Of course,” Kaladin replied, smiling like it was the simplest thing in the world.

  Zarek scoffed. “Can’t you smell it from all the way here?”

  ‘Smell?’ She mentally kicked herself, ‘of course, they could sniff out settlements.’ Her gaze flickered to Rahn, who looked as innocent as ever. He knew there was a settlement nearby, but was unwilling to tell her lest their journey be cut short.

  “Please, we’ll pay you if you take us there,” she said, her tone more urgent now.

  “You both are quite adorable. Don’t worry about the shells; we’re not lacking.” Neveah finally spoke up, her gaze darkening as it fell on Zarek. The man visibly flinched, his skin prickling in fear, and with a muttered grumble, he stalked off, clearly rattled by Neveah’s presence.

  “So, you’ll be travelling with us, right?” Neveah asked, her voice light but commanding.

  Hadassah looked at Rahn, and after a brief pause, she nodded. As much as she liked the greenery, she was sick and tired of being surrounded by nothing but grass.

  ˋ?-?-?ˊ

  It wasn’t long before Kaladin noticed her left hand—the one she’d used with the handpiece—he gently took it, his eyes softening at the sight of the raw, burnt tissue. The skin had sloughed off, revealing the damage the Wyre had inflicted on her. Without saying a word, he carefully began to bandage it, his calloused fingers—much like her father’s sword-worn hands. To her, it only made him more charming—the familiarity of those hands tugging at something deep inside her—it felt just a little bit like home.

  Hadassah couldn’t bring herself to look at the injury. Using the handpiece—what Kaladin called a “Wyre”—had been far more devastating to her body than she had anticipated. Rahn, as a Harbinger, could withstand the flames; Kaladin, though… she still wasn’t sure what Kaladin was.

  Rabbit?

  No.

  That had to be a ruse.

  Dragon, maybe? How else could he have stood against that explosion so effortlessly?

  None of them were normal; that much was clear.

  Neveah’s beauty alone defied reason—like it had been handcrafted by the heavens. Ahqi had been beautiful, yes, but Neveah… Neveah was like a goddess walking among mere mortals. And then there was Zarek, the loud and violent one, who never stopped glaring at her like her existence itself irritated him. Even his good looks couldn’t make up for the constant hostility.

  “Here, I have some spare robes,” Neveah offered, breaking the awkwardness that settled once her hand had been bandaged. She handed Hadassah a fresh set of clothes since the explosion had burnt her own too badly to keep wearing. There was a kind smile on her lips, and Hadassah found herself at a loss for words as she accepted them, admiring just how pretty her skin looked against the eventual setting sun.

  Neveah’s clothing was beautiful too—far too extravagant for someone like Hadassah, who had been running for her life in bloodied rags just hours earlier. She expected them to be ill-fitting considering Neveah’s curves. But to her surprise, the robes fit perfectly, as if tailored just for her.

  Black with gold embroidery, strapped at the waist and limbs, they were simple yet the quality was undeniable with thick velvet cuffs and gold cuff links, rich cotton, and a high embroidered collar. Hadassah immediately knew they were rich.

  It made sense, though.

  Someone like Neveah couldn’t exist without wealth—it simply wouldn’t be logical.

  Kaladin handed Rahn another set of robes, and soon, both of them looked like they were disciples of some secret, noble order.

  “So, are you going to tell me who this kid is?” Zarek asked, arms crossed as he glared down at Hadassah. He was tall—easily the tallest of the group—and well-built. Of course Hadassah looked short in comparison, but calling her a “kid” was an obvious attempt at insulting her.

  Her eye twitched, but she kept quiet.

  “Hadassah is a brown rabbit, and Rahn is a crow beastman,” Kaladin said smoothly.

  Hadassah blinked, a flash of confusion crossing her face as she looked at Kaladin; she hadn’t expected him to make the introductions on their behalf.

  “A crow beastman?” Zarek echoed, flexing his arms as he sized up Rahn. Bird beastmen were rare on the continent—they didn’t mix with other tribes, and most beastmen had no idea where to even find them. And now, one stood right in front of him. “Rahn, how old are you?”

  Before Rahn could answer, Hadassah grabbed his hand. “He’s twenty,” she lied quickly.

  Twenty seemed reasonable—older than her, but not by much. “He’s mute, so don’t ask him any questions.”

  “Mute?” Zarek raised an eyebrow, clearly sceptical, but Rahn remained silent, his eyes glued to Hadassah’s hand, which was still wrapped around his own.

  “And what about you, shorty?” Zarek continued, turning his attention to Hadassah.

  “I have a name,” she retorted sharply.

  “Did I ask?” His deadpan reply made her grit her teeth, but she forced herself to calm down.

  “I’m nineteen,” she said, holding her ground.

  “Oh,” he replied, his tone flat as ever. The whole exchange left her feeling irked. And more than that, she was dying to know why Kaladin had introduced them as different beasts.

  She wasn’t a rabbit, and she didn’t have the ears to prove it. Meanwhile, Rahn… she looked him over. ‘Okay, I can see him being a crow,’ she admitted to herself. As long as he kept his wings out, no one would question it. But her? Where would she sprout rabbit ears from?

  Once Zarek was gone, Kaladin turned to her with a knowing smile. “I guess you have questions?”

  “You know?” she asked, her voice low but full of meaning.

  Kaladin smirked and absent-mindedly tugged at one of his ears. “Well, it’s hard not to. I’ve met a few of your kind before, and I do like you.”

  ‘Like us? He says it like we’re pets.’

  “So, you won’t lynch me?” she asked, half-serious, half-joking.

  Kaladin blinked, then burst into laughter, his dark hair glistening in the fading sunlight. “Now why would I do that?”

  “At least vow it,” she pressed.

  “There’s no need,” he replied, his voice softening. His smile was disarming, revealing pointed canines that reminded her of a predator’s. “I can’t lie. Not to you, anyway.” He said it so casually, yet it clicked something into place for her, and she finally let herself relax.

  ‘I see…’

  He couldn’t lie to her—he wasn’t just any beast; he was a Harbinger. It explained his liking for humans and his strange powers.

  “Then you have a human-”

  He placed his finger to his mouth to shush her as if it were their little secret. Reaching into his pocket, Kaladin produced two tiny hair clips. “You need some ears to be a convincing rabbit.”

  Hadassah took the clips, inspecting the inscriptions carved into the underside. They were intricate, detailed, and in Emerian.

  ‘Bunny ear toys. Not for anyone under sixteen years old.’

  She had never seen an artefact that had an age bound, but she didn’t question it. She buried the clips in her hair, as close to her scalp as possible and instantly, two long, brown rabbit ears sprouted from her head. They felt so soft and velvety that even she couldn’t help but tug at them, but as she tugged, she felt it. It felt like touching her actual ears.

  “No more questions?” Kaladin asked, watching her closely.

  “One. Why don’t they know?” Hadassah’s eyes flicked to Zarek, who was starting a fire.

  “Neveah knows, Zarek doesn’t,” Kaladin replied smoothly. “They are both my students, but I don’t think he would appreciate having someone of your kind as his junior sister.”

  ‘Is he really some kind of teacher?’ Hadassah eyed him with disbelief. Kaladin didn’t even look thirty—how could he be the teacher of a man like Zarek? More importantly, was it safe to travel with someone who hates humans?

  “Are you worried?” Kaladin’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  “What do you think?” she shot back, her lips twitching into a small smirk.

  He laughed, a deep, melodic sound that seemed to echo pleasantly in the fading light. She couldn’t help it—her own lips lifted into a smile. ‘Even the way he laughs is… good.’ She wanted to say charming, beautiful, dashing, but had to settle for good.

  Raising his hand, he gently placed it on her head, his fingers brushing against her hair. “As long as I’m here, you will be safe.”

  It was strange how easily his words settled her heart, like he had power over her emotions. Whether it was because he was a Harbinger or something else, she didn’t know. But as her body relaxed, her eyes watered slightly with the overwhelming relief that washed over her. “Alright.”

  Just as she let herself feel that calm, a sharp, throbbing pain shot up from her right hand as it accidentally brushed against her thigh. Rahn hissed beside her, clenching his own hand, feeling her pain as acutely as she did. She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the pain. ‘Right, I forgot about that.’

  Turning to Kaladin, she asked, “How do I stop him from feeling my pain?”

  Kaladin’s expression softened with understanding, his eyes darting briefly to Rahn. “There’s no way to separate your bond completely,” Kaladin explained, his tone patient. “But you can block the part of you that shares pain and pleasure.”

  “How do I do that?” Hadassah asked, eyebrows furrowed.

  Kaladin gave her a small smile. “Well, it’s simple. If you want your Harbinger to do anything, you must verbally command it, or command it in a way that they know in their soul it comes from you.”

  She shot him an odd look, prompting a chuckle from Kaladin. “For example,” he continued, “if you have a seal you use in your letters, and you write them a letter with that seal, they have no reason to doubt it is from you, and so they will obey.”

  “So, I just have to say, ‘do not feel my emotions?’” Hadassah asked, the concept still sinking in.

  Kaladin nodded. “Yes, but remember, it also means any strong emotions he feels will be hidden from you too.”

  ‘I can live with that,’ Hadassah thought. It seemed like a fair exchange and would afford them both some privacy.

  “That also means, when you said he was mute, he is now mute. He cannot speak.”

  Kaladin’s words settled over her, but she didn’t seem to care. Hadassah held his gaze. His statement might have been enough to rattle someone else, but she was not one to be rattled.

  “Is that supposed to change anything?” she asked. She had told Zarek what she needed to, and she wasn’t about to take it back.

  Kaladin’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “Not for you, I suppose.”

  Her mind was already moving past it. Rahn’s inability to speak was now a fact, but it wasn’t something she saw as significant. His silence made him easier to control, after all.

  Power over Rahn was simply part of the arrangement, one she wasn’t inclined to question. Her focus was always forward, and any internal conflict she might’ve felt was pushed aside. After all, she had more important things to deal with than questioning the morality behind controlling a Harbinger.