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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

And then another wave of water rose from the ground, hitting me hard in the knees. It swept Thrana’s feet from beneath her. I clung to the rock like a shipwrecked sailor and watched with horror as she tumbled into the darkness.

45

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Jovis

Gaelung Island

There didn’t seem to be a good way to say: “I’m sorry for spying on you. Oh, also, I’m sorry I’m back even though you told me to leave – but Ragan is a serious asshole. Someone should tell you.”

Would I even be let back inside the palace? She must have told them all by now that she’d sent me away in disgrace. And if they even let me back inside, would she hear what I had to say before she had me executed?

It didn’t matter. I had to try. I’d clung to the idea of finding Emahla again like a lifeboat, and now I clung to the idea that I could somehow fix the mistakes I’d made, that I could still help the people of the Empire.

“She will be mad,” Mephi said as he trotted alongside me. “Very mad.”

“Not helpful,” I said. I’d spent too long in Ragan’s memory, and the proprietor of the drinking hall had been loath to disturb me. Night had well fallen by now, the moon providing barely enough light to see by. Most of the houses we passed were silent, their windows dark.

“I wouldn’t let her execute you,” Mephi said. He jostled my leg with his shoulder.

I almost halted on the path. I’d never thought about what might happen to Mephi if something happened to me. “If I did die, what would you do?”

He swiveled his head to consider me, and then looked out over the fields. “Run away. You are the only reason I’m here.”

“And I thought it was the food.”

He clacked his teeth at me, shaking his head so hard his ears slapped against his cheeks. “Maybe a little.”

We fell silent as we walked. The rain hadn’t stopped, and though the road had been laid with gravel, it was still muddy in places I couldn’t see well enough to avoid. In the distance, I heard a faint roar. Mephi pricked his ears. “You hear that?” He swiveled his ears away and then forward again, as though checking his hearing.

“I did.”

The palace glowed with lamps, though I couldn’t see what was happening at this distance. The main gate lay on the other side. Mephi took a step forward, and then another, his neck stretched to its limit. “I think… I think there is fighting.”