BooksBarbecue
Back The Ones We Burn
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

Pain flared, and her blood-magic rose in a roar, but it was exhausted past its limits, and in the presence of so much fire it was little more than a flicker. Ranka screamed and fell backward. Vivna kept coming, her movements frantic, her eyes wild. Ranka’s entire world was a haze of pain, and all the while her mind reeled with shock. What was Vivna doing? Vivna was her sister; Vivna loved her. Why was she hurting her? The sisters sank into the snow. Vivna stabbed Ranka over and over again, until the knife was slick with blood and Vivna could barely keep a grip on it.

“My responsibility,” Vivna whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Mine to fix.”

The flames reached burning fingers toward Ranka. A pitiful croak left her. She was losing too much blood, too fast.

“I’m sorry,” Vivna whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.”

And then Ranka’s only sister left her for dead, bleeding out among the flames of Belren.

73

Ranka screamed—and the kernel burst.

74

DYING WAS STRANGELY PEACEFUL.

After a lifetime of near brushes with death, the realization that her body had hit its limit was oddly calming. Every part of her burned. White-hot power flared in her veins, straining against her skin, stretching through her bones, battling for control against the winalin raging through her system. Two blood-magics, one born, one made, fighting for control of the host. She deserved this, didn’t she? The monstrous witch, the Butcher of Belren, the girl who should have lain down and died five years ago but instead had kept living, kept hurting, kept fighting.

She should have been terrified, or angry. But instead, Ranka felt calm. It would be fitting if it was her blood-magic that killed her in the end. If, after everything, this power she’d never wanted swallowed her whole. It would end her life before it let winalin have her.

She had only ever been a host.

At least now she understood.

Monster, Butcher, murderer—they were all just names. She hadn’t been born a monster—she’d become one to protect those she loved. Aramis had been right. At the end of the day, Ranka was the girl who survived.

She was the protector.

I’m sorry. Pain ate her up. Power burned her away. I’m sorry for the lives I took, the terror I caused—but I don’t regret it.

I did it to protect her—to protect everyone I’ve ever loved.

I don’t regret becoming the monster they needed.

I don’t regret protecting them.

I don’t.

I refuse.

I won’t.

75

FRAGMENTS OF MEMORY CAME BACK in flashes of color and sound, pieces of history she’d locked away long ago in a bid to protect herself.

Vivna, turning away when Ongrum beat Ranka.

Ongrum, manipulating Ranka into believing she was nothing without her.