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Back The Bone Shard Emperor Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Map
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. Discover More
  63. extras
  64. meet the author
  65. A Preview of "The Foxglove King"
  66. A Preview of "The Stardust Thief"
  67. BY ANDREA STEWART
  68. Praise for Andrea Stewart

Phalue looked up to find Ranami staring at her. Ah, she should have discussed it with her wife first. Especially after going out to fight the constructs. She knew she often acted impulsively; it was one of the things she was working on. Tythus sheathed his sword and they went to meet Ranami at the gates.

Phalue might have worn her feelings like a second skin, but Ranami, when she was upset, didn’t do much better.

“Dismissed for the day?” Tythus asked.

Phalue nodded to him and he retreated into the palace. She wished she could do the same. “I should have asked,” she said to Ranami. “I didn’t think she would take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Ranami closed her eyes. “You’re the governor. You shouldn’t be battling constructs or teaching street orphans how to use a sword.”

“I’m also someone who was once a girl and wanted to learn how to fight.”

“She’ll be in the palace every day. We can’t afford to bring in new people right now, not with the Shardless Few at odds with us.”

“Then how will we ever adopt anyone?” Phalue asked. “You have to trust someone, dearest.”

“I trust you,” Ranami said.

“Then trust me on this,” Phalue said. “The girl is harmless.”

She hoped she was right.

17

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Nisong

An island in the north-eastern reaches of the Empire

Her spy construct had returned from Imperial after they’d conquered the third island. “There’s a man in a cave below the palace. He sleeps in the water,” the gull said, perching on the windowsill of the governor’s suite.

It was a third-level construct, not complex enough to relay much more than the words others had spoken. Nisong pressed it for a description. The description was sparse, but she knew: it was Shiyen.

Shiyen was dead, but then so was Nisong. He’d created her – why not create an approximation of himself too? Something swooped within her, filling her with yearning. In her memories, he’d loved her. In her memories, they’d been happy.

But that wasn’t the only information it brought. The Empire had arrived.

The soldiers stole onto her island under cover of nightfall, emerging from the darkness with the howling winds. The spy construct had been right about the attack. Nisong could only see flashes of lamps and torches from her vantage point in the palace, hear the distant clash of metal against metal and the growls of her beasts. As much as she wanted to be out there in the thick of it, she had more important tasks to attend to.

Five villagers knelt before her, their heads bowed. Blood ran in rivulets from behind their ears, gathering at their chins and dripping onto the wooden floor. All but one trembled. There hadn’t been time to find opium to ease their pain. A small regret, one she could live with.