Brashen made a low sound. There was fury in his voice as he asked, ‘Did he blind you before or after he selected this place?’ The figurehead didn’t flinch from the question. ‘After,’ he said quietly. ‘He never trusted me. With reason. I lost count of how many times I tried to kill him. He blinded me so that I could never find my way back without him.’ He turned back to the awestruck crew on his deck and dropped Amber a slow wink. ‘He never thought that anyone might recarve me. Neither did I, back then. Nevertheless, here I am. Sole survivor of that bloody crew. It’s mine now. And hence,
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