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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

Her features suddenly harden. “You speak of certain death, Delta of Dead River. Annihilation. The gods turned their backs on the people of the wastes, but the Prime and the Trinity will not turn their backs on the people of Powder Town.”

“But I have to do something. He has my pack. There are only nine of them left, and they will die if I don’t—”

She holds up a hand, cutting me off. “Whatever he wants, give it to him. And if you can’t, make peace with the fact that you will lose your pack. It is cruel and unfair, but that is the way of the wastes. You cannot best him, and Powder Town will not sacrifice thousands to save nine.”

I stand up so quickly the chair skids back. “This was supposed to be the last free place in the wastes, a haven for the needy.”

“And it is. You were granted refuge, weren’t you? You no longer have reason to fear.” The Chemist lowers her tinted goggles back into place. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some mixing to do.”

She puts her glasses back on and returns to measuring and pouring. I watch her, wanting to flip the rusted table and spoil her work. But there are candles aflame, and black powder, and I do not have a death wish. Not this evening, at least.

I leave, defeated, the walls that surround Powder Town feeling shockingly similar to the dam at Bedrock. I’m trapped, my service pledged to people who cannot help me read the map—people who intend to sit still while a monster rules the wastes.

We could never truly overthrow him, the Chemist had said. But what if they could? I need to convince the Prime that she can take on the General. If she doesn’t, my pack is as good as dead.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The following morning, Cleo wakes us before the sun. This time, Asher is beside me, as grumpy and bleary-eyed as I feel. We stagger out of bed and pull on our outer layers.

After a trip to the outhouse and a quick breakfast with Cleo, we split ways. Asher heads for the saltpeter beds, a slouch to his shoulders, and I follow Cleo to the main gates. Back in Burning Ground, we harvest sulfur as the sun starts its climb. I miss Asher’s presence, though I’d never tell him. By the looks of Saph’s flat mouth, she’s missing him too. She’s on watch again, along with a few other guards who patrol the boardwalk, though their numbers are half of yesterday’s.