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Back The Bone Shard Emperor
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

“They’re constructs,” I shouted out to them, my hand still inside the facsimile of Nisong’s uncle. “Don’t hold back because they won’t.” I pulled free a shard near the top of the spine. They hadn’t checked my sash for weapons, and I wasn’t carrying any, but I was carrying my engraving tool – the one Numeen had once given to me.

I checked the command written on the shard. You are Nisong’s uncle. Of course Shiyen would think that was of utmost importance. I pushed it back inside, pulled out another one, farther down. And then another. All commands relating to his place here in the palace, his personality. Had Shiyen truly not commanded these constructs to obey him? I supposed he’d never written that into Bayan’s shards either.

An older woman darted toward me, a dagger held high in her hands. I froze, my hand still inside the construct. I didn’t have anything with which to defend myself.

Ragan slid between me and the woman, lifting his sword to intercept the dagger. He didn’t quite make it in time and her blade grazed his arm before he batted it aside. Blood dripped from his shoulder onto the floor.

He plunged his sword into her chest and drew back, just as quickly. I saw Jovis behind him, swinging his staff. “Are you unharmed?” Ragan said.

Relief flooded my chest. “Yes, now go.”

He gave me a swift nod, and turned back to the fight. I pulled free another shard. As I had suspected: When you are discovered, fight. This, I could work with. I wrote in two more words at the end: other constructs.

I pushed the shard back inside and turned to find the next construct I could coerce. Blood made the patterned tiles of Hualin Or’s palace slippery, turned the elaborate beauty into something macabre.

I ducked beneath a knife, slid past a guard grappling with a construct, and pivoted to plunge my hand into that construct’s body. From the corner of my eye, I saw the construct-uncle move again, his purpose now to fight the other constructs. I counted down the number of shards, pulled the correct one free. Swiftly, I carved the new words onto it and returned it.