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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 shook his head. “I’m a part of this, Khepri, whether I like it or not. I’m a harbinger, and I was there when the Red Gate fell, so I don’t get to just turn my back and return to Nazirah.”

“This isn’t about the prophecy.” She stared at him, anger still burning in her eyes. “Hassan, you are choosing to be part of this. What about Zareen and my brothers—”

“They’ll be fine,” Hassan said. “They survived without us before. And once we stop the god and stop Pallas, we’ll take Nazirah back. Just like we planned.”

“I don’t like this,” she said. “It feels wrong.”

“Well, we don’t have much of a choice anyway,” he said. “This ship is heading to Kerameikos. So unless you want to swim all the way to Nazirah…”

She snorted, and almost cracked a smile. It felt like a burst of sunlight in Hassan’s chest.

“Look,” Hassan said, more gently. “Once we get to Kerameikos, if you still feel this way and there’s a chance to go back … I won’t stop you.”

“But you won’t go with me,” she said, finishing the thought he hadn’t said aloud.

He gave her a weak smile.

She sighed, loosening some of the tension in her body and flopping forward against the rail of the deck. “So. The Order of the Last Light to the rescue again, huh? You think they’ll really help us after we lied to them and said you were the Last Prophet?”

“Honestly, no,” Hassan replied. “They have plenty of reasons not to. And it’s not just me, either. We’ve got two oathbreakers, a renegade Prophet, three harbingers, and someone who used to work for the Witnesses and betrayed the Hierophant.”

She glanced at him sharply. “What?”

Hassan rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, allies are thin on the ground.”

“But you trust them.” It wasn’t quite a question.

He nodded, surprised to find that it was true, that he didn’t even need to think about it. As much as he and Jude had fought over the last two and a half months, as much as the Wanderer and the Pale Hand remained mysteries to him, he trusted them.

“Right now,” he said, “we’re all we’ve got.”

19

BERU

Time passed slowly on the journey to Kerameikos. Beru spent most of her days out on the deck, feeling the cool rush of the wind on her cheeks and trying to ignore the god’s voice in her head.

It had been even angrier since Beru had managed to subdue its will on the beach. Baffled might have been a better word—and Beru couldn’t help but feel a little baffled, too.