Page 453 - Fourth Wing

changes me.” I tap my chest right above my heart. “Dain told me that this

place strips away the niceties to reveal who someone really is.”
“Not going to argue there.” He watches me as I begin to pace.

“And I just keep thinking that when I was younger, I asked my dad what

would happen if I wanted to be a rider like Mom or Brennan, and he told
me that I wasn’t like them. That my path was different, except this place has

peeled away my civility, my niceties, and it turns out my power is more

destructive than any of theirs.” I stop right in front of him and hold up my
hands. “And it’s not like I can blame this power on Tairn, not that I would.

Signets are based on the rider, just fueled by the dragon, which means this

has always been there under the surface, just waiting to be unleashed. And
to think—” A knot forms in my throat. “All this time, I had this tiny,

driving hope that I would be like Brennan, and that would be the twist in
my little fable. That my signet would be mending, and I could put all the

broken things back together. But instead, I’m made to split them apart. How

many people will I kill with this?”
His eyes soften. “As many as you choose. Just because you gained power

today doesn’t mean you lost agency.”
“What is wrong with me?” I shake my head, my hands clenching into

fists. “Any other rider would be thrilled.” Even now, I feel the power

simmering just beneath my skin.
“You’ve never been like any other rider.” He moves closer but doesn’t

touch me. “Probably because you never wanted to be here.”

Gods, I want him to touch me, to wipe away the ugliness of the day, to
make me feel something‚ anything but this welling shame.

“None of you wanted to be here.” I glance pointedly at the rebellion relic

on his neck. “You’re all doing just fine.”
He looks at me, really looks, and it feels like he sees entirely too much.

“Most of us would burn this place to the ground if we had the option, but
every marked one wants to be here because it’s our only path for survival.