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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

Ranka sagged against Percy’s chest. He kept muttering something over and over again. Ranka realized he was saying: I’m sorry.

Only a handful of blood-witches were born every generation. Winalin had felt like a cruel trick, a twist of her hopes. Now, after all these years, here was another blood-witch. A real one. Here was a girl like her.

And Ranka could not save her.

She was a child again, kneeling in the snow, screaming as they dragged her toward the pyre. Behind her, Vivna wailed with pain.

They’re going to burn us, she realized. They’re going to burn us alive.

The girl screamed in front of her and another screamed in her memories. It all blurred together—the crowd, the flames, the girl who was dying but not fast enough.

Ranka went slack. She dropped like a stone, slipped through Percy’s arms, and seized the knife from his belt. Fourteen years of Skra precision guided her hand. Ranka pivoted and threw.

The blade hit the witch in the center of her heart.

The screams ended abruptly. Ranka turned away, shivering despite the heat. She could no longer tell whether the taste of smoke in her mouth was from this pyre or one set five years ago.

Aramis and Galen stood as still as stone, tears streaming down their cheeks. Seventeen years in this city, and this was the first time they’d met its heart. They were the most powerful children in all of Isodal—and yet even in the face of this, they could do nothing. Foldrey stood behind them, the muscles in his jaw twitching, still gripping their shoulders.

“Come on,” Ranka said, her voice low. “We have a witch to catch.”

25

FOLDREY AND THE TWINS WHISPER-FOUGHT the whole way.

Ranka’s right hand skimmed her axe, her other on the knife tucked into her waistband. A warning thrummed through her. Something wasn’t right.

“Please, both of you, listen to me…,” Foldrey whispered. “I never would have left if I’d known you were going to follow me—”

“Winalin is my burden too,” Aramis said firmly. Her voice shook, but the princess held fast, her short legs moving quickly to keep up. “If we can’t take the witch alive, we’ll need samples. Percy can’t do it alone.”

Foldrey looked like he wanted to tear his hair out.

Galen’s voice trembled, but the prince lifted his chin. “Where Aramis goes, I go.”

Red swept up Foldrey’s neck, but what could he do? He was their guard. He answered to them, in the end. Yet when he spoke, it was not in the tone of a guard, but that of a worried father. “This is an extraction only. We go in, subdue the witch, and smuggle it out through the tunnels. Look at me, both of you. Your lives are the top priority. If something goes wrong, you do not look back. You run. Promise me.”