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Back Rule of Wolves Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. THE GRISHA
  5. THE DEMON KING
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. THE MAKING AT THE HEART OF THE WORLD
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  57. Also by Leigh Bardugo
  58. Praise for the Grishaverse
  59. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  60. Newsletter Sign-up

“Heir to nothing,” said Adrik. “Fjerdans don’t think of the royal family the way that the Shu do, or even the way Ravkans do. They follow the will of Djel, and strength is the way Djel shows favor. The Fjerdan dynasties that have reigned have always taken their place by force. The Grimjers will need to prove they still deserve the throne.”

“Perhaps I should try to take that crown instead,” suggested Nikolai.

Adrik sniffed. “Do you even speak Fjerdan?”

“I do. So badly a nice man named Knut once offered me a sizable ruby to stop.”

“So now the Grimjers have a young, weak, sickly prince poised to succeed an elderly king?” asked Nadia.

“Yes,” said Nikolai. “The royal family is vulnerable and they know it. If they opt for peace, they risk looking weak. If they opt for war, they will be determined to win at any cost, and Jarl Brum will be there to goad them on.”

“We have the Zemeni,” said Leoni, hopeful as always.

“And the Kerch won’t ally with Fjerda outright,” Genya added. “Not at the risk of their precious neutrality.”

“But they may be angry enough to secretly lend Fjerda aid,” said Adrik.

“What about the Apparat?” Genya asked, turning her cup in its saucer.

Nikolai shook his head. “The man has changed sides so many times, I wonder if even he knows where his loyalties lie.”

“He always goes to the side he believes will win,” said David. “It’s what he did in the civil war.”

“That explains why he’s in Fjerda,” Adrik said gloomily.

“Unfortunately,” Nikolai admitted, “Adrik is right. Fjerda has the advantage and if they march, it will mean an end to a free Ravka.” Demidov would take the throne. Grisha would be rounded up for trial. His people would be subjects of a puppet king committed to serving Fjerda’s interests. And his country? It would become a staging ground for the inevitable fight between Fjerda and Shu Han. “My desire to be beloved conflicts mightily with our need to win this war. I’ve become an accountant, tallying lives to be taken, lives to be spared.”

“The choices we’re making are awful ones,” said Genya.

“But we must make them just the same. I hope diplomacy may still win this fight. I hope we can offer Fjerda a peace that they will take. I hope we’ll never need to unleash the terrors we seek to build.”

“And what happens when we’re out of hope?” asked David.

“We end where we always end,” said Nikolai. “With war.”

13

NINA

THE ROYAL GUARDS ESCORTED Nina back to the Brums’ quarters. With every step, she wondered if an order would ring out down the corridors for her to be clapped in chains and thrown into a jail cell, then burned as a witch for good measure. Her whole body was slicked in cold sweat and her heart was pounding.