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
Malachi continued. “Queen Tessaro will rule at my side, an equal partner. She will lead our efforts to bring all of Viridia’s lies to light and usher in laws that give the women of this country the rights they’ve been denied these many years.”
“The Superior and I will ensure that the men and women of our nation flourish,” Nomi concluded. “We will make Viridia even stronger and more vibrant than it has ever been.”
Nomi smiled into the faces of men who hated her. The florid courtier with red cheeks near Renzo, the magistrate from Sola, his golden cape jarring against his sallow frown. Dante. Even Signor Pietro, the magistrate from her own province, looked disgusted. She smiled at them all.
Together, hands joined, Nomi and Malachi bowed.
Music spilled into the silence. Serina curtsied before Signor Pietro and spoke a few words. Reluctantly he let her lead him into a dance. The rest of the Queen’s Graces spread through the crowd, offering themselves as dance partners to the angriest of the men in the room.
Nomi and Malachi slid into the center of the dance floor, their heads held high.
“They will hate us,” Malachi said, his mahogany eyes enlivened by the challenge.
“For a while,” Nomi said as she flashed him a sharp, knowing smile. “But this is our history to write. We will do it well.”
They spun until the lights swirled around them and the murderous glares disappeared.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You would not be reading this book today without the insight, support, and enthusiasm of a whole lot of talented, generous people.
Thank you to Pam Gruber, Lanie Davis, Viana Siniscalchi, Polly Lyall-Grant, and all the editors and translators of the foreign editions of this series. To Katharine McAnarney, who has done a fantastic job of getting the word out and sends me the loveliest emails. To the rest of the LBYR and Alloy teams, whose enthusiasm and support for this book (and the series as a whole) continually gives me the warm fuzzies. To my agent, Linda Epstein, who always makes me feel like a star. With all of you on my team, I am one incredibly lucky author.
To the faculty and fellow attendees of the MadCap Writing Cross-Culturally Workshop, thank you for being so welcoming and generous with your perspective, advice, and friendship. Meeting you was life-changing.
Big hugs to my friends and fellow writers who have supported me, encouraged me, and reminded me to trust myself. Who’ve read early drafts, who’ve offered advice, who’ve shown up at events, and who’ve reminded me that my value as a person is not tied to the words I put on the page: Michelle Nebiolo, Dr. Jody Escaravage, Aimee L. Salter, Rachel Hamm, Natasha Fisher, Jax Abbey, Paige Nguyen, J.D. Robinson, Crystal Watanabe, Morgan Michael, April Anft, Kate Elliott, Kyra Whitton, Danielle Boateng, Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, Dhonielle Clayton, and Natalie C. Parker.