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Back Black Salt Queen
Chapters (50)
  1. Praise for
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. City of Mariit: Capital of Maynara Map
  5. One
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Two
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Three
  24. Seventeen
  25. Eighteen
  26. Nineteen
  27. Twenty
  28. Twenty-One
  29. Twenty-Two
  30. Four
  31. By Order of General Ojas,On Behalf of Her Majesty Hara Duja
  32. Twenty-Three
  33. Twenty-Four
  34. Twenty-Five
  35. Twenty-Six
  36. Twenty-Seven
  37. Twenty-Eight
  38. Twenty-Nine
  39. Thirty
  40. Thirty-One
  41. Thirty-Two
  42. Thirty-Three
  43. Five
  44. A Coronation Prayer
  45. Thirty-Four
  46. Epilogue
  47. Acknowledgments
  48. Thank You
  49. About the Author
  50. Violetear Books x Bindery Books

Rocks tumbled over and around them, jagged shapes that devoured the sky. She could no longer hear her own heartbeat. She could no longer hear Laya’s thunder. She felt only the heat of Imeria’s breath as they descended into the darkness together. A moment of quiet, and she thought she heard Aki’s deep, hearty laugh resonate from the other side.

The last glimmer of light faded. The island, reduced to a delicate sliver of ground, cracked open beneath their weight. Duja’s heart leaped from her chest, too heavy with grief and tenderness and pain. Images flashed before her eyes. She saw her daughters, the round-faced girls they’d once been and the women she watched them become. She saw her husband looking up from his book to gaze at her. He awaited Duja. He was standing alone across a luminous river that sang as it coursed around the bend. He was holding out his hand, inviting her to cross over to the next life.

Around her, the jagged rocks continued to fall. She had broken the delicate balance that held the crater together. The entire summit vibrated, and she could do nothing to stop it.

I’m coming, my love.

Hara Duja closed her eyes and allowed the mountain to swallow her whole.

crown fleuron

Five

A Dawn Feast

A Coronation Prayer

All hail Hara Laya

Our kingdom’s chosen steward

Summoner of the sky’s might

And daughter of Mulayri

Whose blood flows through her veins.

All hail Hara Laya

Daughter of Duja

Bearer of the Gatdula legacy

And defender of Maynara’s glory

For many years may she reign.

Thirty-Four

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Laya

At dawn, people flooded the streets of Mariit by the thousands to catch a glimpse of their new queen. They gasped in awe when the palace gates opened and Laya emerged. Her dark skin glowed with an unearthly essence. She appeared like a goddess, descending from her mountain kingdom. The dull morning light glinted off her headpiece, a half circle of gold plates that radiated like sunrays. She wore a coronation gown of viridian silk, its long train slinking along the marble steps like a water serpent. She glided to the riverboats, where her retinue was waiting.

General Ojas offered Laya his arm and helped her onto the largest boat from which the Gatdula banner waved. Bulan followed, a ceremonial sword at her belt and a green sash tied over her gleaming breastplate. Eti and the rest of Laya’s retinue joined them.