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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

Her trembling fingers trailed over one page, pressing the paper flat. “I’ve not just seen this language; I’ve spent long, lonely nights learning it.”

Of course the Emperor would keep old, forbidden Alanga works. It made sense. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew the Alanga language?”

She turned the opened pages toward me, her expression grim. “Because I didn’t know I knew it. This isn’t some lost language. It’s the same script used for bone shard magic.”

26

image

Lin

Somewhere in the Endless Sea

The Alanga language and the language of the bone shard magic were one and the same. Had the Alanga used bone shard magic too? Although I could decipher pieces of Dione’s journal, my understanding of the language was imperfect, and the easy, conversational structure of the journal was so very different from the stark commands carved onto bones. Jovis hadn’t given over full custody of the journal to me; instead, he would bring it to me and sit to the side as I read, a comforting presence I wasn’t ready to dismiss. Besides, he’d offered suggestions every so often that had proved helpful.

At least that’s what I told myself.

We were making landfall at Imperial to briefly regroup before going to Hualin Or and then Gaelung. My ostensible mother had come from Hualin Or. Her family would be there. I wondered what they would make of me. At least Hualin Or’s witstone mines were small. My order to halt witstone production wouldn’t affect it as much as some other islands. We’d be landing at Imperial soon, where I knew I’d be busy seeing to the needs of the Empire. I had only a little time left on the ship that I could devote to my research. I opened the crate at the foot of my bed and took out the sword.

“Careful,” Thrana said.

I looked at her. What did she mean by that? “It’s a blade. Of course I’ll be careful.”

“Not just that,” she said. “It smells strange.”

A bit unnerved, I set it back down and instead lifted out the statue’s face. And nearly dropped it back into the chest. Sometime while I’d stored it away, the eyes had closed. I suppressed a shiver. It made me think of the mural in the palace at home, the Alanga lined up, hand in hand, their eyes closed. Until, one day, they’d opened.

They’d opened the day I’d fought my father. The day Jovis had appeared at the palace steps. The day I’d bonded with Thrana.

I set the face in my lap.

Thrana sniffed it, her whiskers and wet nose tickling the back of my hand. “Smells strange too.”