The Price She Paid: Shadow & Bone (Book 2)

Chapter 5: Sword Fight.

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"Sister saints!"

Alina and I turned, and I spotted the twins from the night before. They were sitting on various trunks and barrels with a few of the other crew, playing what looked like a card game of some kind.

"Join us."

Alina glanced back at me for confirmation, and I shrugged.

What else were we going to do?

We made our way over and I noticed the healer from the night before was with them.

"I'm Tamar," the female with the axes introduced. "This is my brother Tolya." Tamar and Tolya, the shu twins, I guess that made sense. "This is Alexa." She nodded towards the Grisha healer. "And this is Jedda and Hender."

"I'm Alina and this is Evelynn." The group exchanged knowing smiles. Alina frowned. "But I mean, I guess you all knew that."

Tamar moved to the right and patted the seat beside her. Alina squeezed past her and sat down. I took the free stool next to Tolya.

Tamar handed Alina and I four cards each. Each card had a different design.

Tolya threw a card down on the pile with a smile, saying a word I didn't recognize in a different language. I'm guessing it was Shu.

"What does that mean?" Alina asked.

"You don't know it?" Tolya questioned. "It means 'victory' in Shu."

Alina was only part Shu, a fact she hated. Many assumed that because she had some in her heritage, she could automatically speak it.

"Uh, I dont speak Shu."

"Understandable," Tamar replied. "We know what Ravkan's think about mutts like us and in Shu Han—"

"They prefer to remind us, we've our Ravkan mother's blood," Tolya finished.

Tamar turned and helped Alina adjust her cards.

"Blood is blood, only fools think otherwise."

She glanced up at me, offering me a smile of her own.

I decided I liked her.

"Is that why you've chosen a life at sea?" I asked. "Because the sea understands that?"

The sea didn't care or who you were or what you could do. It treated everyone the same.

"It's why we've chosen Sturmhond," Tolya answered. "He understands."

I turned and caught a glimpse of Sturmhond and Mal talking at the bow of the ship. The sun reflected off of them, making Sturmhond's hair appear more golden than blonde. A sense of familiarity hit me.

Where did I know him from? Why was he so familiar to me?

"I'm intimidated," Alexa, the healer from last night admitted. I turned and saw her starring at me. "I've never played cards with a Ravkan Saint before, let alone two at once."

Hey, they're also Shu Saints," Tamar corrected.

Alina and I laughed.

The tales of the Sun Summoner and the Exchange had been spreading. I was just now starting to learn just how far the tales had actually spread.

"Either way, I promise it's not that different," I stated.

"Wait, is that a sharks tooth?" Alina's face lit up and I could feel a sense of excitement flow through our bond as she looked at Tamar. "You're Grisha, what order?"