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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

A gust of wind and water slammed into my side. My upheld staff was useless against it. I heard Mephi cry out as we were both sent falling farther down the slope. What in all the Endless Sea had just happened? The thought occurred almost at the same time as a memory came to mind.

Back when Gio and I had crept into Nephilanu’s palace together, something had carried one of the guards off his feet and down the hillside. I realized now that it had been wind, aimed precisely at the guard. At the time, Gio had blamed it on me.

It hadn’t been me. It had been him.

Gio was an Alanga.

And then I hit my head against something hard and the world winked out.

52

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Lin

Gaelung Island

Water permeated every piece of my clothing, the fabric rough and heavy against my skin. Each time I thought I could catch my breath, Ragan sent another wave at me, forcing me to brace once more. Thrana did her best, but he kept her at bay with his sword. We were only just surviving and he seemed to effortlessly wield both his blade and his magic at the same time. I wished I’d brought more cloudtree berries and bark with me. Around us, the fighting still raged. A war construct broke away and came at my throat, only to be tossed away in Ragan’s next wave. I barely brought my power to bear and knocked a portion of it aside. The rest drenched me, threatening to take me out at the knees.

I was farther from the gates than when I started. With each step I took, Ragan pushed me back toward the switchbacks.

Something seemed to shift in the fighting around us. At first, I thought it was merely dawn, chasing away the night. The darkness around us lifted in increments, the constructs and people around me more discernible, the blood streaking their faces more visible. But though the sky grew lighter, something else had changed too. I could feel it in the air, the mood of the people close to the us.

Someone was marching toward us. Many, many someones.

Ragan turned his head for just a moment, and Thrana darted past him toward his ossalen. I lifted the moisture around me, intending to stuff it down his throat. But then I made the mistake of looking to the sound of the footsteps as the first of the group made it onto the plateau.

I recognized the man leading them. It was the same man I’d seen at the refuse pile on Nephilanu and this time, I could place his face. The grizzled beard, the one undamaged eye, the perpetual scowl. I’d seen it on the posters the bureaucracy constructs had been painting.