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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

There was still so much to change, so much to learn. But they had time. Ranka finally had nothing but time. Her entire life she had been counting on dying in her twenties, bleeding out on some distant, smoking battlefield.

But now, with her blood-magic dwindling more every day?

There was an entire life ahead of her, decades upon decades. If her luck held, she would see her hair turn gray, feel her limbs weaken, and watch her skin wrinkle. There would be more hard days, but the fact that she would have the days would be a miracle in and of itself.

And for this—this girl, this hope, this new life—she would take all the time she could get.

“I think we will, Princess,” Ranka murmured. The word felt private now, a pet name instead of an honorific. Ranka relished the fact that she got to say it at all.

Seabirds cried overhead. Behind them, the voices of Council members lifted into the air, mixing with the thrum of the waves. They were definitely arguing again. Ranka didn’t quite have it in her to care. Everything around her was rendered in sharp, brilliant hues of oversaturated color—the sand, the sea, the girl beside her. Ranka met Aramis’s eyes, taking in the rich black of her lashes, the rose-gold blush dusted over her brown cheeks, the sky above her, and the golden rays of sunlight that fell across them like warm rain. So many hues, so many colors, and even now Ranka wanted to gather them in her palms and drink them until she burst.

The world had not been painted gray for three months now. Ranka hoped it never would again.

“The ship is gone, witch girl.” Aramis traced a pattern on her arm. “We should head back.”

“A little longer,” Ranka whispered. “Rest with me, a moment more.”

The queen smiled and put her head in Ranka’s lap.

What a fool Ranka had been, to think she wanted the Skra, Ongrum’s pride, or even Vivna’s return. To believe she needed to meet the cruel conditions of someone else’s love to be worth anything at all.

She had all she needed right here.

Ranka tilted her face to the sun.

The colors had never been brighter.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ON NOVEMBER 12TH OF 2019, three years into working on this book, I slipped on ice getting out of my car. The first thing to hit the concrete was my temple.