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Back Rosemarked
Chapters (58)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Part One
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Part Two: Three Months Later
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-one
  27. Part Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-two
  29. Chapter Twenty-three
  30. Chapter Twenty-four
  31. Chapter Twenty-five
  32. Chapter Twenty-six
  33. Chapter Twenty-seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-one
  38. Chapter Thirty-two
  39. Chapter Thirty-three
  40. Chapter Thirty-four
  41. Chapter Thirty-five
  42. Chapter Thirty-six
  43. Chapter Thirty-seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-nine
  46. Chapter Forty
  47. Chapter Forty-one
  48. Chapter Forty-two
  49. Chapter Forty-three
  50. Chapter Forty-four
  51. Chapter Forty-five
  52. Chapter Forty-six
  53. Chapter Forty-seven
  54. Chapter Forty-eight
  55. Epilogue
  56. Acknowledgments
  57. About the Author
  58. Keep Reading for a Sneak Peek at Umbertouched

He’s lying. I know it, and he knows I know. If they capture me now, they won’t let me die until they’ve dragged every last piece of information from me, bit by excruciating bit. My only comfort is that in a few hours I won’t remember anything worth telling them. Behind Walgash, I see Kosru trying to sneak around behind me. I wonder why there’s only three of them, and why Walgash didn’t bring more people with him when he clearly had suspicions about me sneaking out at night. And I suspect that it was because he was still hoping he was wrong. That he hadn’t wanted to think the worst of me.

Such is war, I tell myself. Sacrifices must be made. If only believing something were as easy as saying it.

And I know there’s no point in delaying the inevitable.

“I’m sorry,” I say. And I lower the torch.

The oil catches fire quickly. I draw my sword and dagger, charge for the exit—and find myself face-to-face with Masista. I block his strike, then slash at his arm with my dagger. I can’t tell if I drew blood, but I don’t have time to check because Kosru is rushing me from behind. I duck to the side and give him a push as he careens past me, and he has to scramble to keep out of the flames. We face each other, panting. Somehow, in that scuffle, they’ve managed to stay between me and the door.

It’s starting to get hot in here. Beads of sweat run down my skin. The smoke is thick in the air now, and it’s clear we can’t stand here forever. The others are sneaking looks at the door as well, edging closer to the fresh air. They’re no longer attacking, and I realize they’re just going to wait it out.

The smoke is getting to me now. My head feels stuffy, and I’m wheezing—I’m running out of time. Masista and Kosru stand side by side in front of the door, and I charge them, at the last minute ducking to the left. Kosru’s caught off guard. He turns, but he’s off-balance, and I easily deflect his sword. I’m close enough to the door now that I can feel the fresh air coming in.

Something big and heavy collides with the back of my head. My knees buckle, and black creeps in on the edge of my vision. Someone drags me out the door by the collar.