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Back The Ones We Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (93)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Part One: Skra: Sixty Days Remain
  5. PART ONE SKRA SIXTY DAYS REMAIN
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4 Two weeks later
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. Part Two: Monster: Twenty-Five Days Remain
  25. PART TWO MONSTER TWENTY-FIVE DAYS REMAIN
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. Part Three: Butcher: Six Days Remain
  40. PART THREE BUTCHER SIX DAYS REMAIN
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. 49
  59. 50
  60. 51
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. Part Four: Bloodwinn: Coup Successful
  64. PART FOUR BLOODWINN COUP SUCCESSFUL
  65. 54
  66. 55
  67. 56
  68. 57
  69. 58
  70. 59
  71. 60
  72. 61
  73. 62
  74. 63
  75. 64
  76. 65
  77. 66
  78. 67
  79. 68
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80 EPILOGUE Three months later
  92. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  93. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She was unbreakable, and they were not.

I will protect her.

Ranka turned and seized the burning wood from the pyre. Fire blistered her skin, blackening her hands. Ranka hurled the burning log at the nearest house.

Fire roared up over the boards, engulfing the old cabin. Screams rose from the ones trapped inside. The flames spread to the next home and the next. Ranka limped to the barn. She set the horses free, and then she burned the barn, too.

She felt nothing.

Some villagers fled. The ones who tried to stop her didn’t make it very far. She raised her nose to the wind, locking down on two scents in particular.

And then Ranka licked her lips and limped toward the parents who had failed her.

44

“I CAN’T DO IT.” RANKA lurched upright. She took two steps only to fall to her knees and vomit. Black bile dripped from her lips. Memories swirled behind her eyes and a part of her yearned to dive back in—but she couldn’t. She refused. That village. Those people.

What had happened there? How had she forgotten all of it—forgotten the way Vivna had failed her? The way Vivna had hurt her?

“Ranka,” Aramis said, her voice low. “You can’t stop now.”

“I’m done.”

The memory was bad enough. She would not relive what followed.

Vivna had refused to listen to her. Vivna had almost gotten them both killed. Everyone always made it sound like Ranka went into that village eager to kill. All this time she thought she’d been born cruel. But she’d only become a monster to save Vivna.

If only Vivna were here, if only Ranka could talk to her—

Pain shattered her world.

Ranka doubled forward, gasping. Her muscles seized and uncoiled as pain ricocheted through her. She could feel her blood-magic fighting her, pressing against her skin, like the pressure from five years ago but so much worse.

“You have to go back in. You have to see it through.” Aramis crouched down in front of her, face distraught, and Ranka knew she was remembering Sorya. “Ranka, please.”

All that power. If it hadn’t been for Belren, would her blood-magic have ever manifested at all? Could she have lived a life not cloaked in death?

The pressure burned hotter than before, but it was condensing, tightening, flowing toward her heart. She could almost see it—a dark kernel of power, a miniature sun going cold. Her blood-magic shrank, twisting, retreating to the middle of her chest until it buried itself behind her heart, tightening into a tiny, jagged grain of wicked magic. One that pulsed and lived. One that no longer answered to Ranka at all.

“Ranka—”

“Leave me alone,” Ranka whispered. Her ears rang and her vision swam, and all of it was worth it if she never had to see that village again. “I’m done.”

All those people…