Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1)(94)
Sighing, she drifted toward the front of the ship, turning her back on Moray and facing the expanse of ocean that stretched before them. Liesl, Deadshot, and Avi were below in the galley, but she didn’t feel like joining them yet. Instead, she leaned on the railing and inhaled the briny air, letting it play with her hair as she remembered what it was like to be on the water, its rolling movements and fathomless depths.
Her need for revenge had brought them all to this place of uncertainty and fear. She had ignored all the warnings and tended only to her desires, unknowingly spreading the counterfeit and ash fever with it.
She was no better than Mercado. No better than Boon.
“You’ve changed.”
Roach had joined her at the railing. He looked more like himself out of his uniform—more like the boy who had survived those seven years alongside her, making her laugh and sneaking her food. He gave her his familiar two-finger salute, and she gave one back. I’m all right.
I think.
She rested her head against his shoulder. “The countess was only an illusion,” she murmured. “As soon as I put on a pretty dress, all anyone could see was a rich girl.”
He hummed in disagreement. “It’s more than just clothing. It’s in the way you hold yourself, the way you speak. Like you’re more…you.”
She lifted her head with a frown. “How can I be more me when I was pretending to be someone else?”
“I’ve no clue, but somehow it happened. And I’m glad it did.”
“That makes one of us.” But at least now she could drop all her masks, perhaps finally figure out who she truly was.
And maybe, hopefully, that girl would be someone worthy of Cayo’s forgiveness.
Still, they had a long way to go until they reached that moment. Once they arrived in the Rain Empire, they would have to try to find a cure for Soria before the disease progressed more than it already had. She would try to find a lead on Boon’s whereabouts and expose his lies. And then…
Well, she didn’t know. She supposed the only definitive plan was the one she had stuck to for the last seven years: survive.
“It feels good,” she said softly, almost to herself, “to be back on the water.”
Roach huffed a fond laugh and tightened his arm around her shoulders. “It feels good to be on the water with you by my side. I’ve missed you, Sil.”
She winced and looked away, focusing again on the sea before them. “Don’t call me that. I’m not Silverfish anymore.”
“Then what should I call you?”
Breathing in deep, she allowed herself a moment to admire the patches of sky where the stars shone through, listening to the way the water curled in whispers against the ship’s hull. Her mother’s ring pressed insistently against her palm.
“Amaya,” she said at last. “My name is Amaya.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I remember watching the Disney version of The Count of Monte Cristo movie years and years ago, falling in love with the epic tale of vengeance and sword fights and romance. So that makes the fact that Scavenge the Stars found a home at Disney all the more appropriate. (Also, Amaya is an official Disney princess now—sorry, I don’t make the rules.)
I’ve been thrilled and honored to have so many people have a hand in this book’s publication from start to finish:
First, a huge thanks to Patrice Caldwell for seeing the potential of this story and giving it the chance to find readers, and for being such an amazing advocate and cheerleader. I’m very glad you stormed my launch of Firestarter to shout about what I was working on next. Thanks also to Hannah Allaman and Laura Schreiber for their assistance and making sure everything was running on time. Thank you to the Disney team at large, especially Marci Senders for that magnificent cover (I’m going to storm the offices for that knife), as well as Melissa Lee, Seale Ballenger, and Dina Sherman.
Thank you to the folks at Glasstown for all their help and dedication, particularly Lexa Hillyer, Emily Berge-Thielmann, Deeba Zargarpur, Rebecca Kuss, and Diana Sousa. Lots of love and gratitude to Kamilla Benko and Kat Cho for their support and kindness through this process.
I would likely lose my head if it weren’t for my fabulous agent, Victoria Marini, and her assistants, Maggie Kane and Lee O’Brien, who make sure I’m taken care of even in the midst of birthing a whole human baby.
Eternal gratitude to my friends for sticking with me even though I complain about practically everything on the planet. To Traci Chee, Emily Skrutskie, and Jessica Cluess: You three are the OG hoes of my heart. To T. J. Ryan: thank you for being my petty buddy and for taking me to Disney World. To Ellen Gavazza: thanks for adventures in sushi and movies. To the writing cult for encouraging me to post gross snippets in the Slack: Akshaya Raman, Katy Rose Pool, Alex Castellanos, Kat Cho (yes, you get to be named twice), Axie Oh, Claribel Ortega, Meg Kohlmann, Mara Fitzgerald, Janella Angeles, Maddy Colis, Ashley Burdin, Amanda Haas, Melody Simpson, Amanda Foody, and Christine Herman.
A hundred million thanks, always, to my readers, as well as the booksellers, librarians, and reviewers who helped spread the word about Scavenge. Also to my $5+ supporters on Patreon: Alyssa Tarr, Amanda Wheeler, Amelie Fournier, Arianne, Ash Hardister, Caitlin O’Connel, Carlee Maurier, Carolyn, Cody, Common Spence, Dani, Lisa, Mae Nouwen, Sen Scherb, and Sylph.