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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

He opened his mouth and then realized there was nothing he could say. Silence hung in the air like a thick shroud. Guilt roiled in Anton’s gut. He wanted to give Jude everything he wanted. He wanted to keep Jude for himself. He couldn’t do both.

Jude waited another heartbeat, and then he let go of Anton completely, backing away and stalking off into the night. Anton watched him go, only his own labored breath filling the silence Jude left behind.

28

HASSAN

Hassan found himself enjoying the company of Lady Iskara’s rangers as evening turned into night.

“Tell us more about Anvari,” Hassan said, ripping off a chunk of bread to dip in his stew. “How is it your city has resisted the Witnesses for this long?”

“Well, it hasn’t been easy,” the younger ranger said, pushing her raven hair over her shoulder. “The moment we heard the reports about Witnesses in the river valley, Lady Iskara made it known that anyone seeking refuge from them would be welcomed into Anvari. I was one of them—a lot of us joined up with the rangers. We knew that our own regional lords would do little to protect us, but Lady Iskara showed us that she meant what she’d said.”

An unexpected surge of defiance and reverence washed through Hassan. These people weren’t so different from his and Khepri’s little group of Herati refugees or the Scarab’s Wing. Just people standing up to the Hierophant, fighting for themselves as best as they could. He felt renewed respect for this Lady Iskara. Young as she was, she was clearly strong enough to stand against the Witnesses. Smart enough to know that in a fight like this one, hope was the most powerful weapon.

“Though it might all be for nothing, in the end,” the one-eyed ranger said. “With the Witnesses controlling most of the river valley, our food stores are limited beyond what we can smuggle in and what we can hunt. Come winter, we’ll starve unless something changes.”

“There’s always hope,” the younger ranger said gently.

Hassan thought of the Scarab’s Wing, holed up inside the Great Library and fighting to stay alive. Of Zareen, and Khepri’s brothers, Sefu and Chike, left there without Khepri or Hassan or Arash to guide them. The guilt of his decision not to return to Nazirah weighed on him more heavily than it had since those first days after Behezda.

They finished their meal and one of the rangers showed them to the barracks. It would be nice to sleep somewhere other than the ground for the first time since they’d entered the river valley, even though the barracks themselves were drafty and smelled vaguely like mildew.