“Back to normal,” Otto said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Eleanor bit her lip. Slowly, she reached down and rolled up her sleeve.

Along the inside of her arm, from her elbow to her wrist, was a line of words, written in ink that gleamed as if still wet.

But there were many worlds yet to wander, many paths to be walked. They called to her, and eventually, she would answer.

Pip pushed to her feet. She shrugged out of her jacket and held out her arm, and Eleanor read the words written there.

But a blade does not make a hero. She would have more adventures, she knew, and face dangers not yet imagined.

Otto stepped off the log and pushed his sleeve up above his elbow.

Yet his curiosity was as strong as ever. The universe held too many secrets and too much knowledge for him to be satisfied living a quiet life. He would seek out new magic and new trouble soon enough.

As they stared, the words faded, sinking into their skin, until only one remained.

Adventure.

Seek.

Wander.

And Eleanor smiled.

Acknowledgments

Writing every book is hard and wondrous in its own way, but the final book in a series has its own special magic and mischief, and Glassheart was no exception. The book and I were each broken in several different ways before we found our way out of the Wending together and the grandfather clock struck midnight for the final time, but in the end I hope that I have given Eleanor, Pip, Otto, Jack, Claire, the cat-of-ashes, and all the rest a proper farewell, and that I have given you, my wonderful readers, a satisfying and thrilling conclusion to this tale of curses and friendship and sinister siblings.

As I’ve shared before, the idea for Thirteens sprang from a one-shot RPG run by my dear friend Patrick Maughan, and so I must of course thank him first. Along the way, many people have helped shepherd that seed of an idea into three books and an entire heroic journey. Lisa Rodgers was the first to read and champion Thirteens, providing invaluable insight on that first (very) lumpy draft. Maggie Rosenthal, as she has so many times, lent her editorial expertise, transforming every draft along the way. The No Name Writing Group read drafts, untangled plot threads, and made soothing noises when I panicked—an eternal thank-you for feedback and friendship to Shanna Germain, Erin M. Evans, Susan Morris, Rhiannon Held, Corry L. Lee, Monte Cook, and Rashida Smith. And huge thanks to Lauren Spieller, agent extraordinaire, for jumping right in mid-series to help bring the story of Eden Eld to its conclusion.