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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

“So you only leave the palace four times a year?” Gooseflesh rose on her arms. “Always on the same route? And that doesn’t strike you as odd?”

She could almost see the gears in his mind turning, snagging against reason, bumping up against every velvet-tongued falsehood fed to him.

“How much of your city have you actually seen?”

Galen’s throat bobbed. He looked at her, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, and then back at the route ahead of them, as if seeing it for the first time. “I’ve… studied the maps. Why?”

“I think something is broken in this city. Something they don’t want you or Aramis to know. I think you feel it too.”

Galen had gone carefully still.

“You say you’d like to be friends. Then let me do something a friend would. Get us out of here—and let us see your city for real.”

Galen’s eyes darted from her to Foldrey to the streets he had clearly seen a dozen times before. She could feel the fight between the boy who’d never wanted any of this, who shirked any and all responsibility, and the boy with bright eyes who noticed far more than he let on.

“Galen,” Ranka said. “Please.”

A light of defiance flashed there.

Galen raised a hand—and the air erupted.

Suddenly the street was impassable. Sand, dirt, and garbage formed a thick haze of swirling brown. The crowd shrieked. Somewhere ahead of them, Foldrey shouted for everyone to remain in place.

Grit filled Ranka’s mouth, and then a slender hand was on her arm, tugging her out of the carriage. He tightened his grip, weaving through the crowd, blanketed by dust. They slipped down a side alley, then a second, a third—and then they were free.

Galen exhaled, his eyes wide, his entire body vibrating with an unwieldy, nervous energy.

Ranka latched on to the scent of rot. Something had happened that Foldrey didn’t want Galen to know about. Something that ended in blood. So much in Seaswept had been hidden or carefully curated, not just for the sake of Galen’s ignorance, but hers, too.

But Foldrey wasn’t here. It was just the witch and her prince, with a maze of alleys between them—and death on the wind ahead of them.

“Come on,” Ranka murmured. “We’ll need to be quick.”

It was time they both met this city for real.

15