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Chapters (61)
  1. Copyright
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Map of The Wastes
  5. I
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. II
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. Chapter Ten
  17. Chapter Eleven
  18. Chapter Twelve
  19. Chapter Thirteen
  20. Chapter Fourteen
  21. Chapter Fifteen
  22. Chapter Sixteen
  23. Chapter Seventeen
  24. Chapter Eighteen
  25. Chapter Nineteen
  26. Chapter Twenty
  27. III
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. Chapter Twenty-Five
  33. Chapter Twenty-Six
  34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-One
  39. IV
  40. Chapter Thirty-Two
  41. Chapter Thirty-Three
  42. Chapter Thirty-Four
  43. Chapter Thirty-Five
  44. Chapter Thirty-Six
  45. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  46. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  47. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  48. Chapter Forty
  49. V
  50. Chapter Forty-One
  51. Chapter Forty-Two
  52. Chapter Forty-Three
  53. Chapter Forty-Four
  54. Chapter Forty-Five
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. Sample Chapter from ALL THESE MONSTERS
  57. 1
  58. Buy the Book
  59. Must-Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
  60. About the Author
  61. Connect with HMH on Social Media

It’s the woman from Bedrock, the caravan leader.

She’s Kara the Prime.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“You?” I mutter.

Asher stomps on my foot and gives me a glare so fierce it could kill. But the Prime only smiles.

“Me.” Her eye flicks up and down my frame. “I’ve never heard a plea from a ghost before. But there are firsts for everything. Tell me your name.”

“Delta. Of Dead River.”

“I’m glad my advice served you well, Delta of Dead River. And you.” Her voice cools as she turns to Asher. “I granted you refuge once, and you ran. I do not open my doors to just anyone, Asher of Alkali Lake. To come here—to agree to be a part of Powder Town—means working to make it stronger. Not weakening it by leaving.”

I seek refuge from Kara the Prime. I invoke the right to work for the Trinity.

What have I promised—what has Asher made me promise—without me even knowing it? I can’t stay here and work for the Trinity, whatever that is. I need to decode the map and return to Bedrock, or my pack is dead.

“Still”—the Prime sighs—“I will hear both your cases. Come in.”

I expect the building to be regal, full of luxuries the rest of Powder Town lacks, but Prime Hall is virtually empty. Several tables fill one corner of the room. Thick wooden shutters flank each window, and candles—currently unlit—sit on clay dishes that hang from the ceiling. The Prime is tall—even taller than Asher—and has to duck on occasion to avoid knocking into a candle.

“You expected something fancier,” she says as she leads the way toward the sitting area. “But how can I expect my people to give their sweat and blood to me if I do not sweat and bleed alongside them?”

“That’s a very elaborate way of saying the Prime has her own home in town, just like everyone else,” Saph explains. “Prime Hall is a communal room, used for meetings, like this one, or for shelter during storms.”

The space doesn’t seem big enough to hold all the people I saw earlier, but maybe there are multiple buildings like this throughout the town.

The Prime motions at a table, and I all but collapse into a chair. A smooth seat, my shoulders on a backrest . . . after several days in the wastes, it feels magnificent.

“You seek refuge,” the Prime says, slipping into her own seat. “I am willing to provide it, so long as you are willing to work in a division of the Trinity—production, prosperity, or security. These are the pillars that keep Powder Town strong.”

“And do you feed your workers ilked-up water like the General and call it a choice?”

“Delta,” Asher hisses.

“What? I have a right to know. She was at Bedrock when I was there. She traded with that monster.”