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

From the look on Aramis’s face, the dead witch was a mystery to her. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe the palace wasn’t involved at all. Maybe the path to finding Yeva was not the royals—but whatever had killed this witch.

Footsteps, deliberately light, broke her from her thoughts.

A stranger entered the morgue.

He was young, dressed in threadbare clothes, with a shaved head and pockmarked pale skin. The boy stalked across the room, quieter than a prayer, his attention focused solely on the princess ahead. In his palm gleamed a knife.

He wasn’t alone. Outside, Ranka scented three more.

The boy stepped into a shaft of moonlight.

And on his chest—something gleamed.

It was so small, she’d nearly missed it: a gold pin no bigger than a coin, with an all-too-familiar engraving on its face. Ranka couldn’t read the words circling the edges, but she would have recognized it anywhere.

It was identical to the one clenched in the sick witch’s fist as she died.

10

THE BOY CROSSED THE ROOM, so close to Ranka she could see the gaping pores on his pale cheeks, the delicate blond hairs dusting his upper lip. He was still a child, teetering on the precipice of adulthood. And yet, like her, he was already a killer.

The boy leaned against the doorframe, masking his terror with arrogance. “Curious hobby for a princess.”

Percy’s head snapped up. A knife appeared in his hand, and in a blink he was in front of Aramis, body tense and blade poised. In the murky light Ranka could have sworn his eyes flashed a melted gold. That beneath his skin, a faint outline of scales rippled. She blinked and the image vanished.

“Aramis,” Percy said, his voice hard. “Go. Now.”

“Don’t bother,” the boy said. “I’ve got three more outside.”

Ranka tensed. Percy was a warrior, but could he take on four men at once? She doubted it. It wasn’t her place to interfere. The last thing she needed was for the princess to be on high alert because her brother’s new fiancée was tailing her.

But if they die, Yeva whispered, how will you find me?

The pin. The bracelet. The sickness. Somehow they were connected.

“Come now, Princess,” the boy crooned. “Let’s make this easy. Step away from the body.”

Aramis’s throat bobbed, but her face was blank. “We can resolve this peacefully, surely.” Her eyes darted to the exit. “You know the Sunra name. Our coffers have never been fuller, and the Hands have never been shy about taking bribes in the past. Name a price.”

“We have plenty of gold.” The boy jerked his chin at Percy. “We want him, and the corpse.”

“What do you want with Ambassador Stone?”

From the look on Percy’s face, he was wondering the same. Ranka’s eyes narrowed.