Page 445 - Fourth Wing

between Tairn’s forelegs, clearly exhausted.

“Tell me Liam is alive. Tell me it was worth it.”
“Deigh says that he lives. The sword went through his side,” Tairn says.

“Good. Good. That’s good. Thank you, Andarna. I know how much that

cost you.” I look up into her golden eyes, and she blinks slowly back.
“Worth it.”

Nausea holds me in its grip, and my mouth waters. Killed him. I killed

him.
“Damn, Sorrengail!” Sawyer calls out. “Lightning? You’ve been holding

out on us!”

Lightning I used to take a life.
My stomach heaves and a dark shadow envelops me, but it’s not Xaden.

Tairn has folded his wings over us, closing out the world while I retch up
everything I’ve eaten today.

“You did what was necessary,” Tairn says, but it doesn’t stop my stomach

from clenching and tightening again, trying its best to force up what’s not
even there.

“You saved your friend,” Andarna adds.
Finally, my stomach settles, and I force myself to my feet, dragging the

back of my hand over my mouth. “You need to get some rest, don’t you?”

“I’m proud you’re mine.” Andarna’s voice wavers, the blinks of her eyes
becoming slower. “Even if I need a bath.”

Tairn draws back his wings, and Andarna walks forward, then launches

into the sky with steady wingbeats toward the Vale.
I stare up at the saddle. I need to get him out of this so he can rest, too.

But all I can think is that I finally have a signet, a real, true signet, and the

first thing I did with it was kill a man.
“Violet?” Dain appears on my left. “That was you with the lightning

strike? The one that took down the tower?”
The one that killed Jack.