I startle awake, awash in sweat, tangled in Dagan’s embrace. Carefully lifting his heavy arm from around me so as not to disturb him, I grab a quilt from the chair near our pallet and walk, trembling, to the window. The night sky is scattered with stars, spots of brightness against the gloom. The moon illuminates my healing tent on the far side of our home, a lone candle burning inside. Likely Iltani, awake again, yearning for a drink.

I should check on her.

Looking back at Dagan, bathed in moonlight, his chest softly rising and falling, I tug the quilt more closely around me, breathing in the freshness of the cool, night air, and shiver.

It was only a dream.

As I tug on my cloak, I know that now is not the time to think about such evil. For out in my tent, the one I have built with my own two hands and the support of Dagan, the one I have staffed with a young mother named Bikku who was once a fishmonger but had always dreamed of being an A-zu, is my friend who battles her own kind of darkness.

And I, as her healer, must be her light.

I’d love to take credit for bringing this book to life and sending this series off into the world all on my own, but I’d be a liar, and that’s really more of Iltani’s thing than mine.

Thank you to Kelsey M. Horton, my incredible editor, who asked all the difficult questions and pushed me, again and again, to home in on the story this was destined to be. You made me a better writer because you never gave up on getting it right. And to Beverly Horowitz, Barbara Marcus, Adrienne Waintraub, Tamar Schwartz, John Adamo, Timothy Terhune, and Dominique Cimina, thank you for giving this series its home at Delacorte Press. It means the world to be part of this community of authors.

Thank you to Kari Sutherland, my dream agent, who is the best cheerleader, advocate, and friend a writer could ask for. This series was such a challenge, and you listened to me cry, talked me through difficult plot points, and rooted for me from day one. I can’t thank you enough for believing in me and for encouraging me to believe in myself, too.

Thank you to my publicist, Elena Meuse, who has been ridiculously organized and positive during my book and blog tours (spreadsheets for the win!). You’re an absolute rock star, and I don’t deserve you.

Thank you to copy editors Colleen Fellingham and Jen Strada, who questioned all my dangling modifiers and made me sound smarter than I am; to Sammy Yuen for the incredible cover artwork, Alison Impey for the lovely jacket design, and Andrea Lau for the perfect interior; to Janine Perez for patiently answering all of my annoying marketing questions and Nathan Kinney for heading up the production; to the entire GetUnderlined team, including Kate Keating, Elizabeth Ward, and Jenn Inzetta, for your digital shout-outs.