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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

“Mephi!” I was calling his name, screaming it, tearing through bushes – half of me knowing he was gone and half of me expecting him to pop his head up, huffing out a breath in that amused way. Were you getting this worked up? I’ve been here the whole time.

I burst onto the switchback near the palace just in time to see Gio confront the sea serpent. It felt like I’d crossed into some odd nightmare world. Gio lifted his hands. A cyclone of wind and water formed in front of him. He thrust it at the beast, which roared as its body and limbs twisted in this miniature storm. It threw its head back. The person on its neck flew through the air, over the ramparts of the palace. I stumbled past bodies, past men and women turned toward the fight, their mouths agape. Gio whipped up the broken splinters of the palace gates, using hurricane-force winds to slam them into the underside of the serpent’s body. It shrieked and tried to clamp its jaws on his head. But Gio was far too quick for it, moving with the strength and grace of a much younger man. A man with magic in his bones.

I paid the battle only half a mind. I wanted more than anything to wake up on the slope again. To find Mephi with me.

But Emahla had taught me I needed to keep moving forward. As the sea serpent and Gio made a ruin of the palace’s courtyard, I traced my steps in my mind. I’d not seen Mephi’s body. We’d fallen together, nearly side by side. I’d not seen him upslope or downslope.

There were only two possibilities here: he had left or he had been taken.

At the moment I realized he’d been taken, I knew who had taken him.

The Ioph Carn.

54

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Lin

Gaelung Island

I made it back to the palace in time to see Gio engaged in battle, his strength beyond anything I could conceive. I couldn’t whip winds into a frenzy like that, or have such precise control of water. The fighting had slowed to a standstill, the Shardless Few turning the tide. The remaining men and women had turned to watch Gio and the sea serpent, their eyes wide. How long had it been since anyone had seen an Alanga at their fullest potential? The stories gave an idea, but stories were distant things.