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Back Into the Dying Light Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. I
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. BEFORE
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. BEFORE
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. BEFORE
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. BEFORE
  25. II
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. III
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. IV
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. AFTER
  70. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  71. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  72. Newsletter Sign-up

I will fail these people. The thought came, unbidden and certain, like it had already happened.

They all believed in him. Anton could see it in their eyes, the way he’d seen it in Jude’s.

This was what he had been running from his whole life. Not his brother, not his vision, but this moment, when he became something other than himself, when he stopped being Anton, the boy who survived, the boy who Jude loved, and became the Last Prophet. He wanted to turn and run now, and for the first time not even Jude at his side felt like enough to stop him.

These people wanted him to be a savior who could single-handedly stop the Age of Darkness and restore peace to the world. Anton knew he could do neither, but he could do what he had always done—he could play along. He could let them believe what they wanted.

It was easy, then, to melt into the role beneath the weight of the Paladins’ gazes. It was just like bluffing a mediocre hand in a game of canbarra.

The others were all waiting for them back on the Wanderer’s ship. The Guard had come to see them off, the four of them lined up on the dock as Anton approached.

Osei, Annuka, and Petrossian sank to their knees as they caught sight of Anton. Penrose followed suit a moment later.

The other Paladin didn’t know him, but the Guard did. Even if he hadn’t necessarily had many long talks with them, they still knew him. This might be the last time they would ever see one another. No matter what else the Guard and Anton disagreed on, they were laying down their lives for him. For their mission.

“Whatever it takes,” Penrose said.

And Anton let her believe what she wanted. “Whatever it takes.”

22

HASSAN

“They’re in the Unspoken Mountains.”

Anton had once again gathered everyone in a sitting room on the upper deck of the Wanderer’s ship as they pushed off from Kerameikos. He looked out at them from the front of the room, his back to the windows and the night sky.

After that display in the Circle of Stones, Hassan found himself viewing Anton in a slightly new light. He’d already known, of course, that Anton was the Last Prophet. But now he believed it—that Anton could stop the Age of Darkness. He finally understood Jude’s unshakable faith in him.

“Where is that exactly?” Ephyra piped up.

“It’s a chain of volcanic mountains on the western coast of this peninsula,” Jude answered from Anton’s side. “Across from the Gallian Mountains.”

“Why would the Prophets be there?” Hassan asked. “It’s just wilderness, isn’t it?”

“As far as we know,” Anton said, glancing at the Wanderer. “Maybe that was the point—they wanted to hide somewhere far away from the rest of civilization.”

She looked away.