Chapter 13

To avoid returning to her shiel, Brynn joins Messer, Lawson, Ophelia, and others in a late card game on the Main. While they joke about wagers and the Matching Ceremony, Brynn quietly tests her newly acknowledged magic against Messer to sense any influence and feels nothing, only his confusion.

As the players dwindle, Lawson resigns himself to a likely unmatched future. Brynn leaves for a midnight dress fitting with Anya, who unveils a simple red gown suited for a captain’s wife.

Kai arrives unexpectedly, pays Anya, and steals a private moment with Brynn. They sway, reminisce about childhood, and kiss with new intensity. During the closeness, Brynn experiences an overwhelming, visceral reaction—her magic “screams”—leaving her shaken after Kai departs.

Back at her shiel, Brynn asks Acker what psychic influence feels like. Acker explains that physical powers are obvious, but psyche-related influence is subtle; he adds that Brynn’s magic can react instinctively to protect her. Seeking clarity, Brynn digs out an old sketchbook and recalls her first kiss with Kai at fourteen, the moment that sparked her drawing people.

Confronted with the collision of memory, affection, and suspicion, Brynn finally allows herself to cry, overwhelmed by the possibility that love and influence may be entangled.