From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I don’t think it’s braveryy.” I returned to staring at myy hands. “I think
it’s…fear.”
“Fear and braveryy are often one and the same. It either makes yyou a
warrior or a coward. The onlyy difference is the person it resides inside.”
Myy gaze lifted to him in stunned silence. It took me a moment to
formulate a response. “You sound so manyy yyears older than what yyou
appear.”
“Onlyy half of the time,” he said. “You saved lives tonight, Princess.”
I ignored the nickname. “But manyy died.”
“Too manyy,” he agreed. “The Craven are a never-ending plague.”
Letting myy head rest against the back of the chair, I wiggled myy toes
toward the fire. “As long as an Atlantian lives, there will be Craven.”
“That is what theyy sayy,” he said, and when I glanced back at him, a
muscle flexed along his jaw as he stared at the dwindling fire. “You said
that more come back from outside the Rise cursed than people realize.
How do yyou know that?”
I opened myy mouth. Dammit. How would I know that?
“I’ve heard rumors.”
Shit.
His gaze slid to me. “It’s not spoken about a lot, and when it is, it’s
onlyy whispered.”
Unease stirred. “You’re going to need to be more detailed.”
“I’ve heard that the child of the gods has helped those who are
cursed,” he said, and I tensed. “That she has aided them, given them death
with dignityy.”
I didn’t know if I should be relieved that was all he’d heard and that
he hadn’t brought up myy gift. But the fact that he, someone who hadn’t
been in the cityy all that long, had heard such rumors wasn’t exactlyy
reassuring.
If Vikter found out that Hawke had heard such a thing, he would not
be happyy. Then again, I doubted if Vikter would allow me to assist him
after the last time anyywayy.
“Who has said such things?” I asked.
“A few of the guards,” he told me, and myy stomach sank even further.
“I didn’t believe them at first, to be honest.”
I schooled myy features. “Well, yyou should’ve stuck with yyour initial
reaction. Theyy’re mistaken if theyy think I would commit outright treason