Chapters (49)
- COVER
- DEDICATION
- MAP
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- DISCOVER MORE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- PRAISE FOR
A long line of women unspooled behind them. She wondered how many of them were left. One hundred? How many days would Asa last before he got impatient and killed more than one of them at a time?
They climbed the slick dark stairs and moved into a lovely mosaic-floored walkway, and then out into the sun.
The morning was so bright it stung Serina’s eyes. Everything looked bleached out, faded, not quite real. The soldiers led them to the front of the palazzo. Across the canal, a crowd stood in silence, shoulder to shoulder.
Serina was grateful they didn’t cheer. Maybe they would when the deed was done.
She wormed her way to Ember’s side. She reached for Ember’s hands. Every cell of Serina’s body screamed out in horror at this injustice. At the waste, the agony of this moment.
“Let me do this,” Serina begged, the words ragged. “Please.”
“I think you’re right, Grace,” Ember said, with a tiny, tired smile. Her hands were warm and solid in Serina’s. “I think Oracle is waiting for me.”
Serina tightened her grip, held her hands, until the moment she was torn away.
A guard stopped in front of Serina, his big body blocking the crowd. “Halt,” he ordered.
Serina spit in his face. She expected him to hit her, but he didn’t move.
Another soldier led Ember to a wall near the grand staircase. Her boots sank into a patch of soft green grass. They turned her so she faced the crowd, her back to the wall.
Above her, at the top of the stairs, Asa appeared. Even from this distance, Serina could see his sharp-edged smile.
He raised his arms in a welcoming gesture to the crowd. After a moment, a smattering of applause filled the air. It died quickly.
“Good morning to you all,” he said. “The group of women you see before you has committed grievous crimes against our great country. I know my father had certain… qualms… about the execution of women, but it is vastly important to me that we hold these women accountable for their actions. Their brazen disregard for the norms and laws of Viridia cannot—will not—be tolerated. Today, the leader of this group will pay the ultimate price. She has committed treason, and she shall die for it. The rest of these women will pay, one a day, one death at a time.”
Treason.
Serina choked on her own sobs. She didn’t know what to do, but she had to do something. She had to.
He stopped speaking. Gave the signal to his soldiers.
And Serina sang.
Fire, breathe
Water, burn
Terror, wane
Your reign is over.
Gunshots ripped through the air. She closed her eyes.
Fire, breathe
Water, burn
Stars, lead the way
Your sister is here.