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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

“Go back to the girjastu and take the youngens to the vault,” Noomi commanded. “Tell everyone else to take what they need from the armory to fight the wyrm.”

“Is there another way out of here?” Bryn asked once the girl ran off.

Noomi looked back at us. “Not a way that we could get everyone out. If the wyrm gets back down here, we’re all cooked.”

Another boom, but this one had a long rumbling aftershock, and the ground shook. With my free hand, I grabbed Dagny’s arm and pulled her back beside me.

The floor kept shaking—the stones clattering together—and then warm, humid air suddenly rushed up as the floor gave out. We went into a free fall, plummeting into a dark pit below.

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Knightfall

Bryn

I opened my eyes, staring up through the water at the white light above. I sat up and took a deep breath. I had no idea how long I’d been under, but my Skojare blood meant I was capable of being underwater for a very long time.

My eyes adjusted, and I saw everyone scattered throughout a cave with pools of hot water and several small steaming geysers. Wendy, Noomi, and Sumi sat nearby at the edge of the water, coughing and getting their bearings. Farther down, Ulla and Sunniva were sitting while Dagny paced through the shallow water.

“Where are we?” I asked as I stood up. The pool of water only came up to my knees.

“The hot springs are under the indoor gardens. The floor gave out”—Sumi motioned around to the chunks of floor and overturned plants littered around us—“and now we’re trapped in a steamy cave while a dragon burns down the world around us.”

“Doesn’t this water feed into the well?” Ulla asked, and she pointed to the darkest end of the cave. “Is the well down there?”

“The ladder!” Sumi and Noomi shouted in unison.

Dagny got the torch lit, and Sumi took it from her so she could lead the way. The springs ended in a small stream that passed through a narrow gap in the stone. We followed it through. The well was a stony tunnel up toward a green sky, and a mossy ladder ran up along the wall.

Sumi went up first, climbing up the slippery ladder without hesitation, and I went after her. It took about ten frightening minutes, moving upward with a small dot of light guiding us up.

Not that things were bright on the land. The air was all a green haze, and it smelled of ash and death, and it burned my nose and lungs.