BooksBarbecue
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

Hassan looked distressed after they replayed Lady Bellrose’s message for him in the privacy of their room.

“So, she just … gave this to you,” Hassan said slowly. “It was just … waiting for you?”

Jude nodded. “She also gave me this.”

He held out the ring.

Hassan took it, inspecting it. “That’s their symbol. The compass rose. I saw it at the Great Library, when I found the covenant. If they gave you this, that must mean they trust us.”

“But do we trust them?” Hector asked. “Doesn’t this whole thing seem too…”

“What?” Hassan asked. “Easy?”

Hector gave him a wry look.

“I didn’t trust Lady Bellrose at first,” Jude said. “But she did lead us to the Relic of Sight. And she was right about the god and the Hierophant.”

She’d been right about a lot of things.

“And my father was part of her organization,” Hassan said. “He must have trusted her.”

Jude glanced at him. It was so rare, lately, for the two of them to agree on anything.

“This execution she talks about,” Hassan continued, “of the Archon Basileus. It sounds like the opportunity we need. I say we take it.”

Hector’s gaze moved from Hassan to Jude. He looked thoughtful. “All right. If you two trust this, so will I. Anything that gets us closer to Pallas.”

To Beru, he didn’t say, but Jude saw the unspoken words in his eyes. They hadn’t exactly discussed everything that had happened in Behezda, but Jude knew Hector, and he knew that he cared about the girl—the revenant—and wanted to save her.

It was a strange thing to realize, especially because when Jude had last seen Hector in Pallas Athos, he’d been planning to kill her. He’d been convinced she was the last harbinger of the Age of Darkness—and as it turned out, he’d been right. But then neither of them had realized just how complicated the prophecy, and their mission, really was.

“So I guess this means we have a ship,” Hassan said, ticking off a finger. “We have a plan, or the beginnings of one. And we have allies. There’s nothing stopping us now. Right, Jude?”

Jude caught Hassan’s pointed look. There was nothing stopping them. And that was more terrifying than anything else. Jude had spent the last month and a half thinking he had to stay in one place so Anton could find him. He had felt like leaving this awful, crooked town was the same as giving up hope.

He met Hassan’s gaze with a nod. “Right.”

Jude’s hope, his faith, wasn’t in Tel Amot. It lived inside him. Even when he left—even when he got on that ship to sail across the sea—it would still be with him. His path was leading him away from Tel Amot, but someday, somehow, it would bring him back to Anton.

It had to.

5

ANTON