Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark, #1)

by Veronica Roth

“I know quarters are close here,” I said. “But space on the ship is limited. I tried to make it livable for us both.” “You made this place?” he said, turning toward me. I couldn’t read his expression. I nodded. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to share a bathroom.” Still babbling. “But it’s not for long.” “Cyra,” he interrupted. “Nothing is blue. Not even the clothes. And the iceflowers are labeled in Thuvhesit.” “Your people think blue is cursed. And you can’t read Shotet,” I said quietly. My currentshadows started to move faster, sprawling under my skin and pooling beneath my cheeks. My head pounded so hard I had to blink away tears. “The books on elmetahak are in Shotet, unfortunately, but there’s a translation device next to them. Just place it over the page, and—” “But after what I did to you . . .” he began. “I sent the instructions before that,” I replied. Akos sat down on the edge of the bed. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m sorry, about . . . everything. I just wanted to get him out. It was all I could think about.” His brow was a straight, low line above his eyes that made it too easy to see his sadness as anger. He had cut his chin shaving. There was a rumble in his whisper: “He was the last thing I had left.” “I know,” I replied, but I didn’t know, not really. I had watched Ryzek do things that made my stomach turn. But it was different for me than it was for Akos. I at least knew that I was capable of similar horrors. He had no way of understanding what Eijeh had become. ...