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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

When Finn darted past us, we ran after him, following him down the winding trails through the crumbling, burnt remains of ancient buildings.

Behind us, I heard screaming and smelled the burning air. It was brimstone and chlorine, smoky and chemical all at once. We stopped behind the stone-and-wood skeleton of a barn, hiding in the small area between the barn and the mountain wall, trying to catch our breath with air that burned our lungs.

Sumi and Finn leaned against the back wall of the barn, while I paced slowly in place, my hands on my hips. Tove stepped a few feet away from us, nearly bumping into the wall as he stared up at the sky.

Suddenly, the wyrm crashed into the barn—flying straight through the walls—making the crumbling structure explode in stone and rotten wood. I jumped out of the way and landed roughly in the dirt, and I held an arm over my head to protect myself from the shrapnel and splinters.

Tove stood against the mountain, his hands out, and his face contorting in pain. The wyrm was frozen in the air, its mouthful of jagged teeth only inches away from him.

The primal, emerald eyes of the beast narrowed—maybe in anger, maybe in confusion—and the veins on Tove’s forehead looked like they were about to burst. I grabbed my sword and charged at the wyrm, and I swung as hard as I could against the monster’s neck.

But the thick, iridescent scales held strong, and it was my sword that gave. It broke in half, and I was left stumbling back with only a hilt in my throbbing hand.

“I don’t know how to stop it!” I yelled, and smoke fumed out through the wyrm’s nostrils.

Tove grunted, and his face was beet red. He wouldn’t be able to hold the wyrm for much longer, and I scanned around for anything that I could use as a weapon.

Before I could find anything, Tove let out an anguished cry, and he flung his arms upward. The wyrm’s body followed the motion as Tove threw the hundred-pound reptile into the mountainside as hard as he could.

Tove collapsed to the ground, and I rushed over to him as pebbles rained down on us. As the rumbling began, I realized that he’d inadvertently triggered a rockslide.

71

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Quaking

Wendy

Inside the tent, we tried to pretend like it didn’t sound like the world was ending outside. I helped Knut sit on a cot and made him as comfortable as I could, as the earth shook and the Tralla leather walls quaked.