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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

Part of her agreed with the god. She saw how pleasant it would be to slip into nothingness rather than bear witness to this destruction. But another part of her, a part deeper than the god could touch, rebelled. Even if she could not so much as lift her own pinkie finger, it mattered that she still knew who she was. She could not explain why, but she knew it mattered.

YOU WOULD CHOOSE STRUGGLE. YOU WOULD CHOOSE SUFFERING. I SUPPOSE THAT IS VERY HUMAN OF YOU. BUT IT WON’T MATTER IN THE END.

Behezda had been crushed by the very earth. Pallas Athos had been overtaken by a river of blood. Endarrion would fall to plague. And still it was not enough.

The Prophets are all dead, Beru thought. They are gone. You’ve gotten your revenge.

NOT ALL OF THEM, the god responded. NOT THE LAST OF THEM.

And will that be enough? Beru asked, already knowing the answer. Will taking his life satisfy your wrath?

YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME MUCH ABOUT HUMANS, the god said. HUMANS HAVE SQUANDERED THEIR FREE WILL. THEY USE IT TO START WARS AND CREATE SUFFERING. I WAS RIGHT—HUMANS NEED SUFFERING. WHY ELSE WOULD THEY CAUSE SO MUCH OF IT? BUT YOU WERE ALSO RIGHT TO SAY THAT SUFFERING IS BAD.

Then why? Beru pleaded. Why do this? Why cause more of it?

BECAUSE THERE IS ONE WAY TO ERADICATE SUFFERING.

And Beru saw what the god would do. Saw that she could not stop it.

The god would fix the world the only way it knew how.

By breaking it.

IV

THE LAST PROPHET

42

ANTON

They’d been staked out inside an abandoned artificer’s workshop across from the Great Library for almost the entire afternoon, and not a single person had entered or exited.

“This is where Hassan said the rebels were based, right?” Ephyra asked for the second time in as many hours.

“There must be another entrance,” Illya insisted.

“Or they moved,” Jude said.

“If they moved, the Library entrance wouldn’t be protected,” Hector pointed out. When they’d tried to simply walk up the steps, they’d all been forcefully, violently thrown back by some sort of invisible shield.

“We need to come up with another plan,” Jude said. “We’re too exposed here, and it’s getting dark.”

Before the Relic of Heart had been destroyed, the darkness wouldn’t have made much of a difference to Jude. Anton could see how much it bothered him, to once again be without his Grace.

“I think we should—”

The sound of swords scraping free of their sheaths cut off whatever Jude had been about to say next.

Anton whirled. Six swordsmen surrounded them, hemming them in against the windows. Two of them had drawn their blades.

“Who sent you?” the one in front asked, his blade aimed at Anton.

“You’ll regret pointing your sword at him,” Jude said in a dangerous voice.