Empire-of-Storms

["Manon\tand\twrapped\this\tarms\taround\ther\twaist.\tThe\twitch\tsaid\tsomething\tthat\tmade\thim smile.\tTruly\tsmile. Dorian\tlifted\this\thand\tin\tfarewell,\twincing\tas\tAbraxos\tsoared\tinto\tthe\tskies. Ten\tother\twyverns\ttook\tto\tthe\tair\tbehind\tthem. The\t grinning,\t golden-haired\t witch\u2014Asterin\u2014and\t a\t slender,\t black-haired,\t green-eyed one\tnamed\tBriar\twaited\tatop\ttheir\tmounts\tfor\tGavriel,\tLorcan,\tand\tElide.\tTo\tcarry\tthem\tto the\tship\tthat\twould\ttake\tthem\thunting\tacross\tthe\tsea. Lorcan\tmade\tto\tstep\ttoward\tElide\tas\tshe\tapproached\tAsterin\u2019s\twyvern,\tbut\tshe\tignored him.\t Didn\u2019t\t even\t look\t at\t the\t male\t as\t she\t took\t Asterin\u2019s\t hand\t and\t was\t hauled\t up\t into\t the saddle.\tAnd\tthough\tLorcan\thid\tit\twell,\tRowan\tcaught\tthe\tglimmer\tof\tdevastation\ton\tthose centuries-hardened\tfeatures. Gavriel\u2019s\t barked\t curse\t as\t he\t gripped\t the\t golden-haired\t witch\u2019s\t waist\t was\t the\t only sound\t of\t his\t unease\t as\t they\t flapped\t into\t the\t sky.\t Only\t when\t they\t were\t all\t airborne\t did Rowan\tslowly\twalk\tup\tthe\tsandy\thill,\ttying\tGoldryn\u2019s\tancient\tscabbard\tto\this\tknife\tbelt\tas he\twent. Her\tblood-splattered\tshirt\twas\tstill\tlying\tthere,\tjust\tto\tthe\tside\tof\tthe\tpool\tof\ther\tblood soaking\tthe\tsand.\tHe\thad\tno\tdoubt\tCairn\thad\tpurposely\tleft\tit. Rowan\tbent,\tpicking\tup\tthe\tshirt,\trunning\this\tthumbs\tover\tthe\tsoft\tfabric. The\t coven\t faded\t into\t the\t horizon;\t his\t companions\t reached\t their\t ship,\t and\t the\t others were\treadying\tto\tmove\tthe\tarmy\this\tmate\thad\tsummoned\tfor\tthem,\tpushing\tthe\tlongboats into\tthe\tsurf. Rowan\t brought\t the\t shirt\t to\t his\t face\t and\t breathed\t in\t her\t scent.\t Felt\t something\t stir\t in him\u2014felt\tthe\tbond\tflicker. He\t let\t the\t shirt\t drop,\t let\t the\t wind\t carry\t it\t far\t out\t to\t sea,\t far\t away\t from\t this\t blood- drenched\tplace\tthat\treeked\tof\tpain. I\twill\tfind\tyou. Rowan\t shifted\t and\t soared\t high\t on\t a\t fast,\t wicked\t wind\t of\t his\t own\t making,\t the glimmering\t sea\t sprawling\t to\t his\t right,\t the\t marshes\t a\t green-and-gray\t tangle\t to\t his\t left. Chaining\tthe\twind\tto\thim,\tswiftly\tcatching\tup\twith\this\tcompanions\tnow\tflying\tdown\tthe coast,\the\tcommitted\ther\tscent\tto\tmemory,\tcommitted\tthat\tflicker\tin\tthe\tbond\tto\tmemory. That\t flicker\t he\t could\t have\t sworn\t he\t felt\t in\t answer,\t like\t the\t fluttering\t heart\t of\t an ember. Unleashing\ta\tcry\tthat\tset\tthe\tworld\ttrembling,\tPrince\tRowan\tWhitethorn\tGalathynius, Consort\tof\tthe\tQueen\tof\tTerrasen,\tbegan\tthe\thunt\tto\tfind\this\twife.","ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It\u2019s\talways\tso\tdifficult\tto\tsum\tup\tmy\toverwhelming\tgratitude\tfor\tthe\tpeople\twho\tnot\tonly work\t so\t tirelessly\t to\t make\t this\t book\t a\t reality,\t but\t who\t also\t provide\t me\t with\t such unwavering\tsupport\tand\tfriendship.\tI\tdon\u2019t\tknow\twhat\tI\twould\tdo\twithout\tthem\tin\tmy\tlife, and\tI\tthank\tthe\tuniverse\tevery\tsingle\tday\tthat\tthey\u2019re\tin\tit. To\tmy\thusband,\tJosh:\tEven\twhen\tthis\tworld\tis\ta\tforgotten\twhisper\tof\tdust\tbetween\tthe stars,\tI\twill\tlove\tyou.\tThank\tyou\tfor\tthe\tlaughter\ton\tthe\tdays\twhen\tI\tdidn\u2019t\tthink\tI\tcould smile,\tfor\tholding\tmy\thand\twhen\tI\tneeded\ta\treminder\tthat\tI\twas\tloved,\tand\tfor\tbeing\tmy best\tfriend\tand\tsafe\tharbor.\tYou\tare\tthe\tgreatest\tjoy\tin\tmy\tlife,\tand\teven\ta\tthousand\tpages would\tnot\tbe\tenough\tto\texpress\thow\tmuch\tI\tlove\tyou. To\t Annie:\t By\t now,\t it\t would\t not\t surprise\t me\t at\t all\t if\t you\u2019ve\t learned\t to\t read.\t You\t are the\t other\t great\t joy\t in\t my\t life,\t and\t your\t unconditional\t love\t and\t unfailing\t sass\t make\t a solitary\tjob\tinto\tsomething\tthat\tnever\tfeels\tlonely\u2014not\tfor\tone\tmoment.\tI\tlove\tyou,\tbaby pup. To\t Tamar\t Rydzinski:\t I\t have\t been\t so\t grateful\t for\t your\t wisdom,\t bad-assery,\t and brilliance\t from\t the\t very\t first\t moment\t you\t called\t me\t all\t those\t years\t ago.\t But\t this\t year especially,\t I\u2019ve\t been\t even\t more\t thankful\t for\t your\t friendship.\t Thank\t you\t for\t having\t my back\tno\tmatter\twhat.\tI\u2019m\tso\tlucky\tto\thave\tyou\tin\tmy\tcorner. To\tCat\tOnder:\tWorking\twith\tyou\thas\tbeen\tsuch\ta\thuge\thighlight\tof\tmy\tcareer.\tThank you\tfrom\tthe\tbottom\tof\tmy\theart\tfor\tyour\tclever\tand\tinsightful\tfeedback,\tfor\tchampioning my\tbooks,\tand\tfor\tmaking\tthis\tentire\tprocess\tjust\tso\tfun.\tI\u2019m\tincredibly\tproud\tto\thave\tyou as\tan\teditor\tand\ta\tfriend. To\tMargaret\tMiller:\tThank\tyou\tfor\tall\tof\tyour\thelp\tand\tguidance\tover\tthe\tyears\u2014I\u2019ve grown\t so\t much\t as\t a\t writer\t because\t of\t you,\t and\t I\u2019m\t so\t grateful\t for\t it.\t To\t Cassie\t Homer: Where\t do\t I\t even\t begin\t to\t thank\t you\t for\t all\t that\t you\t do?\t I\t truly\t don\u2019t\t know\t how\t I\u2019d manage\twithout\tyour\thelp.\tYou\u2019re\tamazing. To\tmy\tunparalleled\tand\tmarvelous\tteams\tat\tBloomsbury\tworldwide\tand\tCAA\u2014Cindy Loh,\t Cristina\t Gilbert,\t Jon\t Cassir,\t Kathleen\t Farrar,\t Nigel\t Newton,\t Rebecca\t McNally, Natalie\t Hamilton,\t Sonia\t Palmisano,\t Emma\t Hopkin,\t Ian\t Lamb,\t Emma\t Bradshaw,\t Lizzy Mason,\tCourtney\tGriffin,\tErica\tBarmash,\tEmily\tRitter,\tGrace\tWhooley,\tEshani\tAgrawal, Emily\t Klopfer,\t Alice\t Grigg,\t Elise\t Burns,\t Jenny\t Collins,\t Linette\t Kim,\t Beth\t Eller,\t Kerry Johnson,\t Kelly\t de\t Groot,\t Ashley\t Poston,\t Lucy\t Mackay-Sim,\t Melissa\t Kavonic,\t Diane Aronson,\tDonna\tMark,\tJohn\tCandell,\tNicholas\tChurch,\tand\tthe\tentire\tforeign\trights\tteam: I\tam\tso\tblessed\tto\twork\twith\tsuch\ta\tspectacular\tgroup\tof\tpeople,\tand\tI\tcan\u2019t\timagine\tmy","books\tbeing\tin\tbetter\thands.\tThank\tyou,\tthank\tyou,\tthank\tyou\tfor\teverything. To\t my\t parents:\t Thank\t you\t for\t the\t unwavering\t love,\t and\t for\t owning\t a\t truly embarrassing\t number\t of\t copies\t of\t all\t my\t books.\t To\t my\t in-laws:\t Thank\t you\t for\t looking after\t Annie\t when\t we\u2019re\t away\u2014and\t for\t always\t being\t there\t for\t us\t no\t matter\t what.\t To\t my wonderful\tfamily:\tI\tlove\tyou\tall. To\t Louisse\t Ang,\t Sasha\t Alsberg,\t Vilma\t Gonzalez,\t Alice\t Fanchiang,\t Charlie\t Bowater, Nicola\t Wilksinson,\t Damaris\t Cardinali,\t Alexa\t Santiago,\t Rachel\t Domingo,\t Kelly Grabowski,\t Jessica\t Reigle,\t Jamie\t Miller,\t Laura\t Ashforth,\t Steph\t Brown,\t and\t the\t Maas Thirteen:\t Thank\t you\t so,\t so,\t so\t much\t for\t your\t kindness,\t your\t generosity,\t and\t your friendship.\tI\u2019m\thonored\tto\tknow\tyou\tguys. And\tto\tmy\treaders:\tThank\tyou\tfor\tthe\tletters,\tthe\tart,\tthe\ttattoos(!!),\tthe\tmusic\u2014thank you\tfor\tall\tof\tit.\tI\tcan\u2019t\tbegin\tto\texpress\thow\tmuch\tit\tmeans\tto\tme,\tor\thow\tthankful\tI\tam. You\tmake\tall\tthe\thard\twork\tworth\tit.","Bloomsbury\tPublishing,\tLondon,\tOxford,\tNew\tYork,\tNew\tDelhi\tand\tSydney First\tpublished\tin\tGreat\tBritain\tin\tSeptember\t2016\tby\tBloomsbury\tPublishing\tPlc 50\tBedford\tSquare,\tLondon\tWC1B\t3DP First\tpublished\tin\tthe\tUSA\tin\tSeptember\t2016\tby\tBloomsbury\tChildren\u2019s\tBooks 1385\tBroadway,\tNew\tYork,\tNew\tYork\t10018 www.sarahjmaas.com www.bloomsbury.com BLOOMSBURY\tis\ta\tregistered\ttrademark\tof\tBloomsbury\tPublishing\tPlc Text\tcopyright\t\u00a9\tSarah\tJ.\tMaas\t2016 Illustrations\tcopyright\t\u00a9\tKelly\tde\tGroot\t2016 The\tmoral\trights\tof\tthe\tauthor\tand\tillustrator\thave\tbeen\tasserted All\trights\treserved No\tpart\tof\tthis\tpublication\tmay\tbe\treproduced\tor transmitted\tby\tany\tmeans,\telectronic,\tmechanical,\tphotocopying or\totherwise,\twithout\tthe\tprior\tpermission\tof\tthe\tpublisher A\tCIP\tcatalogue\trecord\tfor\tthis\tbook\tis\tavailable\tfrom\tthe\tBritish\tLibrary ISBN\t978\t1\t4088\t7289\t5 eISBN\t978\t1\t4088\t7290\t1 To\tfind\tout\tmore\tabout\tour\tauthors\tand\tbooks\tvisit\twww.bloomsbury.com.\tHere\tyou\twill\tfind\textracts,\tauthor interviews,\tdetails\tof\tforthcoming\tevents\tand\tthe\toption\tto\tsign\tup\tfor\tour\tnewsletters."]