Seeker couldn’t stand it anymore. He grabbed his staff and headed out—Kind always knew the right thing to say. It’d been a whole week since they’d spoken. It’s not like he had a reason for not going sooner. Kind was sure to give him an earful for that.
The air was chill, the sky heavy with clouds, as Seeker trudged the Narrow Way. In the distance, a woman in a slate-colored dress and veil walked alone. Three brutes emerged, blocking her path. Seeker stiffened, heart lurching. They circled her. He broke into a run.
The scene from Beautiful’s Book flashed into his mind—Christiana and Mercy, ambushed in the Way. The ill-favored one had promised to “make women of you forever.” But the King had sent a Deliverer. There would be no Deliverer this time. There had been no Evangelist for him. No Good-Will. No Interpreter. There would be no Deliverer for her, either. There was only him.
A sharp cry escaped his lips—he couldn’t hold back. They turned. He sprinted toward them, staff raised and swung with all his strength. The blow landed clean—cracking against the nearest thug’s skull. The man dropped like a stone.
One of the brutes had the veiled woman by the arm. “I’ll have my way with you once I finish with this runt,” he growled. He shoved her to the ground and turned on Seeker.
Seeker swung his staff, but the brute blocked it and knocked it from his hands. A vision of Blunt in Stupidity flashed through his mind. Fear surged—he wasn’t a fighter, and now he was unarmed. But he had no choice.
Fury welled up inside him. He clenched his fist, drew it back, and hurled his weight into the punch. The brute’s nose crumpled, blood spraying. Seeker stooped, grabbed his fallen staff, and turned—just in time to see the last one running.
Seeker held out his hand to the young lady trembling on the ground. “Are you all right, Miss…”
She pulled back her veil, and a wild mess of black curls tumbled free. Her eyes were swollen, her face streaked with tears and dirt.
“Beautiful?” She was a mess—but she was still Beautiful.
Beautiful sprang to her feet and fell into Seeker’s arms.
“I love you, Seeker.”
Seeker stood stunned. This was the last thing he’d expected today.
Lightning flashed in her eyes. “I said I love you, you dumb boy!”
She looked so adorable when she got like that.
“When did this happen?” he teased, heart racing.
Beautiful stared at him, speechless.
For a moment, they just looked at each other, then they both broke out laughing.
Then they kissed. It was a new beginning.
