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Also by Marie Lu THE YOUNG ELITES

LEGEND PRODIGY CHAMPION

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A YYOUNGOUNG EELITESLITES NOVELNONOVEL

MARIE LU

ǯ Pǯ PutnamȂs ons

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Adelina Amouteru

When as a little irlǰ m¢ mother ould spend lon afternoons tellin me old foltalesǯ rememer one stor¢ particularl¢ ellǯ nce upon a timeǰ a reed¢ prince fell in love ith a iced irlǯ he prince had far more than he neededǰ ut it as never enouhǯ hen he re illǰ he visited the indom of the reat ceanǰ here the nder orld meets the livin orldǰ to arain ith oritasǰ the oddess of eathǰ for more lifeǯ hen she refusedǰ he stole her immortal old and fled to the surfaceǯ n reveneǰ oritas sent her dauhter aldoraǰ the anel of ur¢ǰ to retrieve himǯ aldora materiali£ed out of the sea foam on a armǰ storm¢ nihtǰ clad in nothin ut silver silǰ an achinl¢ eautiful phantom in the mistǯ he prince ran to the shore to reet herǯ he smiled at him and touched his cheeǯ

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ȃhat ill ¢ou ive me in return for m¢ affectionǵȄ she asedǯ ȃ re ¢ou illin to part ith ¢our indomǰ ¢our arm¢ǰ and ¢our e elsǵȄ he princeǰ linded ¢ her eaut¢ and eaer to oastǰ noddedǯ ȃ n¢thin ¢ou antǰȄ he repliedǯ ȃ am the reat- est man in the orldǯ ven the ods are no match for meǯȄ o he ave her his indomǰ his arm¢ǰ and his e elsǯ he accepted his offerins ith a smileǰ onl¢ to reveal her true anel formȯseletalǰ finnedǰ monstrousǯ hen she urned his indom to the round and pulled him elo the sea into the nder orldǰ here her mother oritas as aitin patientl¢ǯ he prince tried once aain to arain ith the oddessǰ ut it as too lateǯ n exchane for the old heȂd stolenǰ oritas devoured his soulǯ thin of this stor¢ no ǰ as stand ith m¢ sister on the dec of a tradin shipǰ looin to ard the shore here the cit¢-state of erroutas rises out of the mornin mistǯ omeda¢ǰ hen am nothin ut dust and indǰ hat tale ill the¢ tell aout meǵ nce upon a timeǰ a irl had a fatherǰ a princeǰ a societ¢ of friendsǯ hen the¢ etra¢ed herǰ so she destro¢ed them allǯ

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City-State of Merroutas The Sealands

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They were the flash of light in a stormy sky, the fleeting darkness before dawn. Never have they existed before, nor shall they ever exist again. —Unknown source on the Young Elites

Adelina Amouteru

I thin he miht e hereǯȄ Ȃm startled from m¢ thouhts ¢ m¢ sister iolettaȂs voiceǯ ȃ mmǵȄ murmurǰ loopin m¢ arm throuh hers as e ind our a¢ throuh a cro ded streetǯ Violetta purses her lips in a familiar expression of con- cernǯ he can tell Ȃm distractedǰ ut Ȃm rateful she decides to let it oǯ ȃ saidǰ thin he miht e hereǯ n the main suareǯȄ t is earl¢ evenin on the lonest da¢ of the ¢earǯ e are lost in the thic of a celeration in the cit¢-state of errou- tasǰ the ealth¢ǰ ustlin crossroads et een enettra and the amouran mpireǯ he sun has nearl¢ dipped elo the hori£onǰ and the three moons han lo and plumpǰ ripe olden ors suspended over the aterǯ erroutas is aliht ith festivities for the idsummer east of reationǰ the

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start of a month of fastinǯ Violetta and ander throuh the throns of revelersǰ lost amid the celerationȂs raino of colorsǯ oth of us are dressed in amouran sils tonihtǰ our hair rapped up and our finers adorned ith ron£e rinsǯ People draped in asmine arlands are ever¢ hereǰ paced into the narro alle¢s and spillin out into the suaresǰ dancin in lon lines around domed palaces and athin templesǯ e al past ater a¢s s ollen ith caro-laden oats and uildins carved in old and silver ith thousands of repeatin circles and suaresǯ rnate tapestries han from alconies in the smo¢ airǯ oldiers pass us ¢ in small clustersǰ earin illo in sils instead of heav¢ armorǰ a moon-and-cro n emlem stitched onto their sleevesǯ he¢Ȃre not the nuisition xisǰ ut no dout the¢Ȃve received erenȂs orders to find us from across the seaǯ e steer clear of the soldiersǯ feel as if Ȃm in a ha£eǰ the celerations floatin around meǯ tȂs straneǰ reall¢ǰ to loo out at all of this o¢ǯ hat do do ith itǵ t doesnȂt feed m¢ ener¢ǯ nsteadǰ sta¢ silentǰ lettin Violetta uide us throuh the us¢ streetsǰ as return to m¢ dar thouhtsǯ ince leavin enettra three ees aoǰ have oen up to hispers at m¢ edside that fade a a¢ seconds laterǯ ther timesǰ the hushed voices tal to me hen no one else is aroundǯ he¢ are not al a¢s thereǰ and cannot al a¢s understand them even hen the¢ are speain to meǯ ut can al a¢s feel their presence linerin in the

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corners of m¢ mindǯ here is a lade thereǰ a rotation of sound and silenceǰ a lamp that urns lacǯ darǰ ro - in fireǯ his is hat the¢ sa¢Ǳ Adelina, why do you blame yourself for Enzo’s death? should have had etter control over m¢ illusionsǰ respond uietl¢ to the hispersǯ could have saved n£oȂs lifeǯ should have trusted the aers soonerǯ None of it was your fault, the hispers in m¢ head arueǯ You didn’t kill him, after all—it was not your blade that ended his life. So why are you the one cast out? You didn’t have to return to the Daggers—you didn’t need to help them rescue Raffaele. And still they turned on you. Why does everyone forget your good in- tentions, Adelina? Why feel guilty for something that isn’t your fault? ecause loved himǯ nd no he is oneǯ It’s better this way, the hispers sa¢ǯ Haven’t you always waited at the top of the stairs, imagining yourself as queen? ȃ delinaǰȄ Violetta sa¢sǯ he tus on m¢ arm and the hispers fade a a¢ǯ shae m¢ head and force m¢self to concentrateǯ ȃ re ¢ou sure heȂs hereǵȄ asǯ ȃ f not himǰ then another liteǯȄ eȂve come to erroutas to flee the nuisitionȂs pr¢in e¢es in enettraǯ t is the nearest place outside of enettran controlǰ ut eventuall¢ eȂll mae our a¢ south to the unlandsǰ far from their reachǯ ut e also came here for another reasonǯ

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f ¢ou had heard stories aout onl¢ one oun liteǰ the¢ ould have een aout a o¢ named aianoǯ affaeleǰ the eautiful ¢oun consort ho as once m¢ friendǰ mentioned aiano durin m¢ afternoon trainin sessions ith himǯ ince thenǰ Ȃve heard his name on the lips of man¢ travelersǯ ome sa¢ he as raised ¢ olves in the dense forests of the mer slesǰ a tin¢ chain of islands far east of en- ettraǯ thers sa¢ he as orn in the hot unland deserts of omaccaǰ a astard raised ¢ anderin nomadsǯ eȂs rumored to e a ild o¢ǰ almost feralǰ dressed from head to toe in leavesǰ ith a mind and hands as uicsilver as a midniht foxǯ e appeared uite suddenl¢ several ¢ears aoǰ and has since avoided arrest from the nuisition xis do£ens of timesǰ for ever¢thin from illeal amlin to stealin the enettran ueenȂs cro n e elsǯ s the stories oǰ he can lure ¢ou straiht off a cliff and into the sea ith music from his luteǯ nd hen he smilesǰ his teeth shine icedl¢ rihtǯ houh e no he is a oun liteǰ no one no s for certain hat his po er isǯ e can onl¢ e sure that he as recentl¢ seen hereǰ in erroutasǯ f ere still the same irl from a ¢ear aoǰ efore ne had po ersǰ Ȃm not sure ould have the courae to search for such a notorious liteǯ ut then illed m¢ fa- therǯ oined the aer ociet¢ǯ etra¢ed themǰ and the¢ etra¢ed meǯ r perhaps it as the other a¢ aroundǯ can never e sureǯ

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What I do no is that the aers are m¢ enemies no ǯ When ¢ouȂre all alone in a orld that hates and fears ¢ouǰ ¢ou ant to find others lie ¢ourselfǯ e friendsǯ Elite friendsǯ riends ho can help ¢ou uild ¢our o n societ¢ǯ riends lie aianoǯ “Salaam, lovel¢ amouran irlsǷȄ We enter another lare suare near the a¢ǯ ll alon the sides are food stalls ith steamin pots and street operators in lon-nosed massǰ performin tale tricsǯ ne of the food vendors smiles hen e loo at himǯ is hair is hidden ehind a amouran rapǰ and his eard is dar and ell-trimmedǯ e o s to usǯ I touch m¢ o n head instinc- tivel¢ǯ ¢ silver hair is still short and scral¢ from m¢ attempt to cut it offǰ and it sta¢s hidden toniht ehind t o lon strips of old silǰ adorned ith a headdress of old tassels danlin aove m¢ ro sǯ I have oven an illusion over the scarred side of m¢ faceǯ o this manǰ m¢ pale lashes are lac and m¢ e¢es are fla lessǯ I lance at hat heȂs sellinǯ teamin pans of stuffed rape leavesǰ lam se ersǰ and arm flatreadǯ ¢ mouth atersǯ “Prett¢ irls from the homelandǰȄ he coos at usǯ I donȂt understand the rest of hat he sa¢sǰ other than “pleaseǰ comeǷȄ and “rea ¢our fastǯȄ I smile ac at him and nodǯ IȂve never een in a cit¢ so heavil¢ amouranǯ It almost feels lie comin homeǯ

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You could rule a place like this, sa¢ the hispers in m¢ headǰ and m¢ heart fills ith leeǯ nce e approach his stallǰ Violetta dis out a couple of ron£e talents and hands them over to the manǯ I sta¢ acǯ I atch as she maes him lauhǰ then he leans over to murmur somethin and she lushes demurel¢ǯ Violetta responds ith a smile that could devastate the sunǯ t the end of this exchaneǰ she turns a a¢ ith t o se ers of meatǯ s she leaves his standǰ the vendor stares at her ac efore turnin his attention to ne customersǯ e s itches the lanuae of his reetin aainǯ “Avei, avei! oret the amlin and come have some fresh flatreadǷȄ Violetta hands a ron£e talent to meǯ “ discountǰȄ she sa¢sǯ “ecause he lied usǯȄ “ eet ViolettaǯȄ I arch an e¢ero at her as I tae one of the se ersǯ WeȂve ept our purses full so far ecause I can use m¢ po ers to steal coins from nolemenǯ hat is m¢ contriutionǯ ut ViolettaȂs sill is entirel¢ differentǯ “t this rateǰ the¢Ȃll e paying us to eat their foodǯȄ “hatȂs hat IȂm orin to ardǰȄ Violetta replies ith an innocent smile thatȂs not innocent at allǯ er e¢es ander the suareǰ pausin here an enormous onfire urns in front of a templeǯ “WeȂre ettin closerǰȄ she sa¢s as she taes a delicate iteǯ “ is ener¢ isnȂt ver¢ stronǯ It shifts as e oǯȄ fter e eatǰ I follo Violetta as she practices her po - erǰ uidin us throuh the people in a lonǰ aed patternǯ

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ver¢ niht since e fled sten£iaǰ eȂve sat across from each other and IȂve let her experiment on meǰ ust lie ho she used to raid m¢ hair hen e ere littleǯ he pulls and tusǯ hen I lindfold her and al silentl¢ around the roomǰ testin hether or not she can sense m¢ locationǯ he reaches out to touch the threads of m¢ ener¢ǰ stud¢in their structureǯ It feels lie an invisile hand reachin do n m¢ throatǰ pullin m¢ po er riht out of m¢ od¢ǯ I can tell sheȂs ettin stronerǯ It frihtens meǯ ut Violetta and I made a promise after e left the aersǱ We ill never use our po ers aainst each otherǯ If Violetta ants protection ith m¢ illusionsǰ I ill al a¢s ive itǯ In returnǰ Violetta ill al a¢s leave m¢ ailities untouchedǯ hat is allǯ I have to trust someoneǯ We ander for almost an hour efore Violetta stops in the middle of the suareǯ he fro nsǯ I ait eside herǰ stud¢in her faceǯ “id ¢ou lose himǵȄ “a¢eǰȄ Violetta repliesǯ I can arel¢ hear her over the musicǯ We ait a moment loner efore she finall¢ turns to her leftǰ noddin for me to follo ǯ Violetta pauses aainǯ he turns in a circleǰ and then folds her arms ith a sihǯ “I lost him aainǰȄ she sa¢sǯ “Perhaps e should o ac the a¢ e cameǯȄ he ords have arel¢ left her mouth hen another street vendor stops us in our tracsǯ e is dressed lie all the other operatorsǰ his face entirel¢ oscured ¢ a lon-nosed

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dottore masǰ his od¢ shrouded in colorfulǰ mismatched roesǯ t second lanceǰ I notice that those roes are made of luxurious silǰ finel¢ oven and d¢ed ith rich insǯ e taes ViolettaȂs handǰ holds it up to his mas as if to iss itǰ and puts a hand over his heartǯ e estures for oth of us to oin the small circle around his standǯ I reconi£e the scheme riht a a¢ȯa enettran amlin ame here the operator places t elve colorful stones efore ¢ou and ass ¢ou to choose threeǯ eȂll then mix the stones underneath cupsǯ thers can pla¢ ith ¢ou at the same timeǯ If ¢ou are the onl¢ one to uess here all three are hiddenǰ then ¢ou not onl¢ in ac ¢our o n mon- e¢ǰ ut ever¢one elseȂs et alon ith the operatorȂs entire purseǯ ne loo at the operatorȂs heav¢ purse tells me he has not lost a round in a hileǯ he operator o s at us ithout a ord and estures for us to choose three stonesǯ e does the same to the others athered eside usǯ I loo on as t o other revelers cast their ets enthusiasticall¢ǯ n our other side is a ¢oun malfet- to o¢ǯ e is mared ¢ the lood fever ith an unseeml¢ lac rash across his ear and cheeǯ ehind his thouhtful fa³ade is an undercurrent of fearǯ Mmm. ¢ ener¢ turns to ard him lie a olf dra n to the scent of loodǯ Violetta leans in close to meǯ “etȂs tr¢ a roundǰȄ she sa¢sǰ her e¢es also pinned to the malfetto o¢ǯ “I thin I sense somethinǯȄ

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I nod at the street operatorǰ then drop t o old talents into his outstretched handǯ e o s at me ith a flourishǯ “or m¢ sister and meǰȄ I sa¢ǰ pointin at the three stones e ant to et onǯ he operator nods silentl¢ at usǯ hen he starts to mix the stonesǯ Violetta and I eep our attention on the malfetto o¢ǯ e atches the cups spin ith a loo of concentration on his faceǯ s e ait for the operatorǰ the other pla¢ers loo in his direction and lauhǯ fe malfetto eers are thro n outǯ he o¢ ust inores themǯ inall¢ǰ the operator stops spinnin the cupsǯ e lines all t elve up in a ro ǰ then folds his arms ac into his roes and nods at all the pla¢ers to uess hich cups their colors are inǯ “ourǰ sevenǰ and eihtǰȄ the first pla¢er calls outǰ slap- pin the operatorȂs taleǯ “ oǰ fiveǰ nineǰȄ another pla¢er repliesǯ o more shout out their uessesǯ he operator turns to usǯ I lift m¢ headǯ “neǰ t oǰ and threeǰȄ I sa¢ǯ he others lauh a little at m¢ etǰ ut I inore themǯ The malfetto o¢ casts his et tooǯ “ixǰ sevenǰ and t elveǰȄ he calls outǯ The operator lifts the first cupǰ then the second and thirdǯ IȂve alread¢ lostǯ I pretend to loo disappointed in losinǰ ut m¢ attention sta¢s focused on the malfetto o¢ǯ Six, seven,

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and twelve. When the operator ets to the sixth cupǰ he flips it over to reveal that the o¢ had chosen correctl¢ǯ The operator points to the o¢ǯ e lets out a hoopǯ The other pla¢ers cast him an ul¢ looǯ The operator lifts the seventh cupǯ The o¢ has uessed correctl¢ aainǯ The other pla¢ers start to loo nervousl¢ at each otherǯ If the o¢ ets the last one ronǰ e all lose to the operatorǯ ut if the o¢ uesses the third one correctl¢ǰ then he ets all of our mone¢ǯ The operator overturns the final cupǯ The o¢ is correctǯ e insǯ The operator lances up sharpl¢ǯ The malfetto o¢ lets out a surprised shout of o¢ǰ hile the other pla¢ers lare anri- l¢ at himǯ ate appears in their chests as sparsǰ flashes of ener¢ that mere into lac spotsǯ “What do ¢ou thinǵȄ I as Violettaǯ “o ¢ou sense an¢- thin aout his ener¢ǵȄ ViolettaȂs a£e sta¢s fixed on the celeratin o¢ǯ “ol- lo himǯȄ The operator reluctantl¢ hands over his purseǰ alon ith the mone¢ that the rest of us etǯ s the o¢ collects the coinsǰ I notice the other pla¢ers mutterin amonst them- selvesǯ When the o¢ leaves the operatorȂs standǰ the others trail ehind himǰ their faces anr¢ and shoulders tenseǯ The¢ are oin to attac himǯ “etȂs oǰȄ I hisper to Violettaǯ he follo s ithout a ordǯ

ŗŖ TEXT SHORT

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or a hileǰ the o¢ seems too happ¢ ith his innins to notice the daner he has put himself inǯ It isnȂt until he reaches the ede of the suare that he finall¢ notices the other pla¢ersǯ e eeps oinǰ ut no at a nervous paceǯ I sense his inlin of fear ro to a stead¢ tricleǰ and the s eet taste of it entices meǯ The o¢ darts out of the suare and onto a narro side street here the lihts are dim and the people scarceǯ Vi- oletta and I settle into the shado sǰ and I paint a sutle illusion over us to eep us hiddenǯ I fro n at the o¢ǯ person as notorious as aiano surel¢ ouldnȂt e this tactlessǯ inall¢ǰ one of the other amlers catches up ith himǯ efore the o¢ can lift his hands upǰ the amler trips himǯ second amler pretends to stumle over his od¢ǰ ut ics him in the stomach as he oesǯ The o¢ lets out a ¢elpǯ is fear chanes to terrorȯand no I can see the threads of it hoverin over him in a darǰ shimmerin eǯ In the lin of an e¢eǰ the other amlers have surrounded himǯ ne ras him ¢ his shirt and shoves him up aainst the allǯ is head hits the all hard andǰ in an instantǰ his e¢es roll acǯ e collapses to the round and curls up into a allǯ “Wh¢ did ¢ou run a a¢ǵȄ one of them sa¢s to the malfet- to. “ou seemed to e eno¢in ¢ourselfǰ cheatin us out of all our mone¢ǯȄ

ŗŗ TEXT SHORT

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The others chime inǯ “What does a malfetto need all that mone¢ forǰ an¢ a¢ǵȄ “ oin to hire a dottore to fix ¢our marinsǵȄ “ irin a hore so ¢ou can find out hat itȂs lieǵȄ I atch calml¢ǯ When I first oined the aers and it- nessed malfettos ein ausedǰ I ould o ac to m¢ chamer and cr¢ǯ IȂve seen it enouh times no to sta¢ composedǰ to let the fear of such a scene feed me ithout feelin uilt¢ aout itǯ o as the attacers continue to torture the o¢ǰ I stand ¢ and feel nothin ut anticipationǯ The malfetto o¢ scramles to his feet efore the others can strie him aainȯhe dashes do n the streetǯ The¢ pur- sue himǯ “ eȂs not an liteǰȄ Violetta murmurs as the¢ oǯ he shaes her headǰ her expression enuinel¢ pu££ledǯ “IȂm sorr¢ǯ I must have sensed someone elseǯȄ I donȂt no h¢ I feel a desire to eep follo in the roupǯ If heȂs not aianoǰ then I have no reason to help himǯ a¢e itȂs pent-up frustration or the allure of dar feelinsǯ r the memor¢ of the aersȂ refusal to ever ris savin malfettos unless the¢ ere litesǯ Perhaps itȂs the memor¢ of m¢self pushed aainst an iron staeǰ pelted ith stonesǰ aitin to urn efore an entire cit¢ǯ or a fleetin momentǰ I imaine that if I ere ueenǰ I could mae the act of hurtin malfettos a crimeǯ I could exe- cute this o¢Ȃs pursuers ith a sinle commandǯ I start hurr¢in after themǯ “ome onǰȄ I ure Violettaǯ

ŗŘ

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“onȂtǰȄ she starts to tell meǰ even thouh she no s itȂs pointlessǯ “IȂll e niceǯȄ I smileǯ he raises an e¢ero at meǯ “our idea of nice is different from othersȂǯȄ We hurr¢ alon in the darnessǰ invisile ehind an illusion IȂve ovenǯ houts come from up ahead as the o¢ turns a corner in an attempt to thro off his pursuersǯ o useǯ s e dra nearǰ I hear the others catch up to him and his cr¢ of pain rin outǯ When e turn the corner tooǰ the attacers have completel¢ surrounded himǯ ne of them nocs the o¢ to the round ith a lo to the faceǯ I act efore I can stop m¢selfǯ In one moveǰ I reach out and push aside the threads hidin us from vie ǯ Then I al straiht into their circleǯ Violetta sta¢s here she isǰ looin on uietl¢ǯ It taes a moment for the attacers to notice me thereȯ not until I al riht over to the uiverin malfetto o¢ and stand in front of him do the¢ finall¢ see meǯ The¢ hesitateǯ “WhatȂs thisǵȄ the rinleader muttersǰ confused for a momentǯ is e¢es dart across the illusion still hidin m¢ scarred faceǯ What he sees is a holeǰ eautiful irlǯ is rin returnsǯ “Is this ¢our horeǰ filth¢ malfettoǵȄ he taunts the o¢ǯ “ o did ¢ou et so luc¢ǵȄ oman eside him ives me a suspicious looǯ “he as the other amler in our circleǰȄ she sa¢s to the othersǯ “he proal¢ helped the o¢ inǯȄ

ŗř

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“hǰ ¢ouȂre rihtǰȄ the rinleader repliesǯ e turns on meǯ “o ¢ou have other innins on ¢ouǰ thenǵ our shareǰ perhapsǵȄ couple of the other attacers donȂt seem so sureǯ ne of them notices the smile on m¢ face and ives me a nervous stareǰ then loos ac at here Violetta aitsǯ “etȂs ust finish thisǰȄ he protestsǰ holdin up a pouchǯ “We ot the mone¢ ac alread¢ǯȄ The rinleader clics his tonueǯ “We are not main a hait of lettin people oǰȄ he repliesǯ “ood¢ lies a cheatǯȄ I shouldnȂt e usin m¢ po ers so carelessl¢ǯ ut this is a dar alle¢ǰ and I canȂt resist the temptation an¢moreǯ utside their rinǰ Violetta tus faintl¢ aainst m¢ ener¢ in protestǰ sensin m¢ next moveǯ I inore her and stand m¢ roundǯ Then I slo l¢ unravel the illusion over m¢ faceǯ ¢ features uiverǰ transformin raduall¢ so that a lon scar eins to emere over m¢ left e¢eǰ then the scarred sin here m¢ e¢e used to eǰ the rouhǰ aused flesh from an old oundǯ ¢ dar lashes turn pale silverǯ IȂve een orin on the precision of m¢ illusionsǰ ho fast and slo I can eave themǯ I can ield m¢ threads of ener¢ more accuratel¢ no ǯ it ¢ itǰ I reveal m¢ true self to the rin of peopleǯ The¢ stareǰ fro£en in placeǰ at the scarred side of m¢ faceǯ IȂm surprised that I eno¢ their reactionǯ The¢ donȂt even seem to notice the malfetto o¢ scramlin out of the circle to press himself aainst the closest allǯ

ŗŚ

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The rinleader sco ls at me efore pullin out a nifeǯ “ demonǰȄ he sa¢sǯ The first note of uncertaint¢ enters his voiceǯ “PerhapsǰȄ I repl¢ǯ ¢ voice comes out coldǯ ItȂs a voice I am still ettin used toǯ The man is aout to attac hen somethin on the round distracts himǯ e loos do n at the colestonesȯ and thereǰ he sees a tin¢ rion of riht red snain its a¢ alon the stonesȂ roovesǯ It loos lie a little lost creatureǰ anderin ac and forthǯ The manȂs ro s furro ǯ e leans do n to ard the tin¢ illusionǯ Then the red line ursts into a do£en more linesǰ all dartin a a¢ in different directions and leavin trails of lood in their aeǯ ver¢one ers ac ardǯ “What in the odsȯǵȄ he startsǯ I eave the lines furiousl¢ across the round and then up alon the allsǰ do£ens turnin into hundreds into thou- sandsǰ until the entire street is covered in a harsh field of themǯ I lot out the liht filterin do n from the lanterns and create an illusion instead of scarlet storm clouds over- headǯ The manȂs composure cracsǰ revealin alarmǯ is com- panions tae hurried steps a a¢ from me as the lood¢ lines cover the streetǯ ear clouds their chestsǰ and the feelin sends a sure of strenth and huner throuh meǯ ¢ illusions mae them afraid andǰ in turnǰ their fear maes me stronerǯ

ŗś

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Stop. I can feel Violetta pullin on m¢ ener¢ aainǯ a¢- e I shouldǯ These attacers have alread¢ lost their thirst for more mone¢ǰ after allǯ ut insteadǰ I shru her off and eep oinǯ This ame is funǯ I used to e more ashamed of such a feelinǰ ut no I thinȯ h¢ shouldnȂt I hateǵ Wh¢ shouldnȂt it rin me o¢ǵ The man suddenl¢ lifts his nife aainǯ I eep eavinǯ You can’t see the knife, the hispers in m¢ head taunt himǯ Where is it? You just had it a moment ago, but you must have left it somewhere. ven thouh I can see the eapon in his handǰ he loos at it in rae and e ildermentǯ To himǰ it has van- ished completel¢ǯ The attacers finall¢ ive in to their fearȯseveral fleeǰ hile others huddle aainst the allǰ fro£enǯ The rinleader turns and tries to run a a¢ǯ I rit m¢ teethǯ Then I snap the thousands of lood¢ lines across himǰ pullin them as tiht as I canǰ as if he can no feel the slice and urn of ra£or-thin threads rippin across his fleshǯ The rinleaderȂs e¢es ule for a moment efore he fallsǰ shrieinǰ to the roundǯ I tihten the sharp threads around him lie a spider trappin pre¢ in her silen cocoonǯ It feels like the strings are sawing through your skin, doesn’t it? “delinaǰȄ m¢ sister calls out urentl¢ǯ “The othersǯȄ I tae in her arnin lon enouh to see t o others ather enouh courae to rush to ard meȯthe oman from earlier and another manǯ I lash outǰ ashin the illusion over them tooǯ The¢ fallǯ The¢ thin their sin is

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ein ripped from their fleshǰ and the aon¢ ends them over douleǯ I am concentratin so hard no that m¢ hands are sha- inǯ The man strules to ard the end of the streetǰ and I let him cra lǯ What must it e lieǰ seein the orld riht no from his point of vie ǵ I continue pourin the illusion over himǰ imainin hat he must e seein and feelinǯ eȂs soin no ǰ usin all of his strenth for ever¢ movementǯ It is niceǰ ein po erfulǯ eein others end to ¢our illǯ I imaine this must e ho ins and ueens feelȯ that ith ust a fe ordsǰ the¢ can inite a ar or enslave an entire populationǯ This must e hat I fantasi£ed aout as a little irlǰ crouchin on the stairs of m¢ old homeǰ pre- tendin to ear a heav¢ cro n on m¢ head and loo out at a sea of neelin fiuresǯ “delinaǰ noǰȄ Violetta hispersǯ heȂs standin eside me no ǰ ut I am so focused on hat IȂm doin that I hard- l¢ sense her thereǯ “ouȂve tauht them enouh of a lessonǯ et them oǯȄ I tihten m¢ fists and eep oinǯ “ou could stop meǰȄ I repl¢ ith a tiht smileǰ “if ¢ou reall¢ anted toǯȄ Violetta doesnȂt arue m¢ pointǯ Perhapsǰ deep do nǰ she even ants me to do itǯ he ants to see me defend m¢- selfǯ o instead of forcin me to stopǰ she puts a hand on m¢ armǯ ur promise to each otherǯ “The malfetto o¢ escapedǰȄ she sa¢sǯ er voice is ver¢ softǯ “ave ¢our fur¢ for somethin reaterǯȄ

ŗŝ

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omethin in her voice cuts m¢ anerǯ IȂm not sure h¢ǯ uddenl¢ǰ I feel the exhaustion of usin so much ener¢ all at onceǯ I release the man from m¢ illusionȂs holdǯ e collapses on the colestonesǰ clutchin at his chest as if he can still feel the threads cuttin throuh his fleshǯ is face is a mess of tears and spitǯ I tae a step acǰ feelin eaǯ “ouȂre rihtǰȄ I mutter at Violettaǯ ¢ fun is overǲ this oneȂs not orth the trouleǯ Violetta sa¢s nothinǯ he onl¢ sihs in relief and steadies meǯ I lean do n to ard the tremlin rinleader so that he can have a ood loo at m¢ scarred faceǯ e canȂt even rin himself to loo up at meǯ “IȂll e atchin ¢ouǰȄ I sa¢ǯ It doesnȂt matter if m¢ ords are true or notǯ In this stateǰ I no he onȂt dare test itǯ Insteadǰ he ust nods in a rapidǰ er¢ movementǯ Then he staers to his feet and runs a a¢ǯ The others do the sameǯ Their footsteps echo do n the street until the¢ turn the cornerǰ here the sound lends into the noise of the festivitiesǯ In their asenceǰ I let out m¢ reathǰ m¢ courae spentǰ and turn to Violettaǯ he loos deathl¢ paleǯ er hand has clasped mine so tihtl¢ that our finers have turned hiteǯ We stand toether on the no silent streetǯ I shae m¢ headǯ The malfetto o¢ e saved couldnȂt have een aia- noǯ e isnȂt an liteǯ nd even if he ereǰ heȂs alread¢ run a a¢ǯ I sihǰ then neel do n and stead¢ m¢self aainst the roundǯ The entire incident has onl¢ left me itterǯ Why

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didn’t you kill him? the hispers in the ac of m¢ head sa¢ to meǰ upsetǯ I donȂt no ho lon e sta¢ here efore a faintǰ muffled voice overhead startles usǯ “o much for ein niceǰ ehǵȄ it sa¢sǯ The voice is oddl¢ familiarǯ I lance around at the hiher floors around usǰ ut in the darnessǰ itȂs hard to mae out an¢thinǯ I tae a step ac into the middle of the streetǯ ff in the distanceǰ the sounds of celerations continueǯ Violetta tus m¢ handǯ er e¢es are fixed on a alcon¢ across from usǯ “ imǰȄ she hispersǯ When I looǰ I finall¢ see a mased fiure leanin aainst the alcon¢Ȃs marle ledeǰ atchin us in silenceȯitȂs the operator ho ran our amlin ameǯ ¢ sister leans close to meǯ “ eȂs an liteǯ He’s the one I sensedǯȄ

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Adelina Amouteru

He doesnȂt react hen he sees us looin acǯ Insteadǰ he sta¢s slouched aainst the all and unstraps a lute from his acǯ e plucs a fe strins thouhtfull¢ǰ as if tunin the instrumentǰ and then flins off his dottore mas ith a runt of impatienceǯ o£ens of lonǰ dar raids tumle do n around his shouldersǯ is roes are loose and unuttoned half a¢ do n his chestǰ and ro s of thic old anles adorn oth of his armsǰ riht aainst his ron£e sinǯ I canȂt mae out his features ellǰ ut even from hereǰ I can tell that his e¢es are a old hone¢ color and the¢ seem to lo in the nihtǯ “IȂve een atchin ¢ou t o mae ¢our a¢ throuh the cro dsǰȄ he continues ith a sl¢ smileǯ is a£e shifts to Violettaǯ “ItȂs impossile not to notice someone lie ¢ouǯ The trail of roen hearts left in ¢our ae must e lon and frauht ith perilǯ nd ¢etǰ IȂm sure suitors continue to

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thro themselves at ¢our feetǰ desperate for a chance to in ¢our affectionǯȄ Violetta fro nsǯ “I e ¢our pardonǵȄ “ouȂre eautifulǯȄ Violetta flushes riht redǯ I step closer to the alcon¢ǯ “nd ho are ¢ouǵȄ I call up to himǯ is notes turn into a melod¢ as he starts to pla¢ in ear- nestǯ The tune distracts meȯdespite his flippant attitudeǰ he pla¢s ith sillǯ Hypnotizing sillǯ There as a place ehind m¢ old home here Violetta and I used to hide inside the hollo s of the treesǯ Whenever the ind rustled throuh the leavesǰ it sounded lie lauhter in the airǰ and e ould imaine it as the lauhter of the ods as the¢ eno¢ed a cool sprin afternoonǯ This m¢sterious personȂs music reminds me of that soundǯ is finers run alon the lenth of the luteȂs strins in fluid stroesǰ the son as natural as a sunsetǯ Violetta lances at meǰ and I reali£e he is main the tune up on the spotǯ He can lure you straight off a cliff and into the sea with music from his lute. “As for you,Ȅ the o¢ sa¢s in et een notesǰ shiftin his attention from Violetta to meǯ “ o Ȃd ¢ou do itǵȄ I lin at himǰ still distractedǯ “o hatǵȄ I repl¢ǯ e pauses lon enouh to shoot an irritated lance at meǯ “hǰ for the odsȂ saesǰ stop ein so co¢ǯȄ is voice sta¢s nonchalant as he pla¢sǯ “ouȂre oviousl¢ an liteǯ oǯ o Ȃd ¢ou do itǰ ith the lood lines and the nifeǵȄ

Řŗ

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Violetta ives me a uiet nod efore I o onǯ “¢ sister and I have een searchin for someone for monthsǰȄ I sa¢ǯ “Is that soǵ idnȂt no m¢ little amlin stand as so popularǯȄ “WeȂre looin for a oun lite named aianoǯȄ e stops talin as he pla¢s throuh a fast series of notesǯ is finers fl¢ alon the luteȂs strins in a lur of motionǰ ut the notes each come out crisp and clearǰ asolute per- fectionǯ e pla¢s for hat seems lie a lon timeǯ There is a stor¢ in his notes as he maes it upǰ somethin cheer¢ and istfulǰ ma¢e even humorousǰ some secret oeǯ I ant him to ans er usǰ ut at the same timeǰ I donȂt ant him to stop pla¢inǯ inall¢ǰ he pauses to loo at meǯ “WhoȂs aianoǵȄ Violetta maes a muffled sound in her throatǰ hile I canȂt help ut cross m¢ arms and sniff in diseliefǯ “urel¢ ¢ouȂve heard of aianoǰȄ m¢ sister sa¢sǯ e turns his head to the sideǰ then ives Violetta a in- some smileǯ “If ¢ou came here to as me m¢ opinions aout imainar¢ peopleǰ m¢ eaut¢ǰ then ¢ouȂre astin ¢our timeǯ The onl¢ aiano IȂve ever heard of is a threat moth- ers use to mae their children tell the truthǯȄ e aves one hand in the airǯ “ou no ǯ If you don’t stop lying, Magiano will steal your tongue. If you don’t pay proper tribute to the gods on Sapienday, Magiano will devour your pets.Ȅ I open m¢ mouth to sa¢ somethinǰ ut he continues as if talin to himselfǯ “ThatȂs enouh proofǰ I thinǰȄ he

ŘŘ

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sa¢s ith a shruǯ “atin pets is disustinǰ and stealin tonues is rudeǯ Who ould do such a thinǵȄ A little rion of dout creeps into m¢ chestǯ What if heȂs tellin us the truthǵ e certainl¢ doesnȂt loo lie the o¢ from all the storiesǯ “ o do ¢ou operate ¢our amlin ame and in so freuentl¢ǵȄ “A h ǰ that.Ȅ The o¢ continues pla¢in his son for a hileǯ Then he pauses aruptl¢ǰ leans do n to ard usǰ and holds oth hands upǯ e smilesǰ flashin his teethǯ “Magic.Ȅ I smile acǯ “aianoȂs tricsǰ ¢ou meanǯȄ “Is that here the ord comes fromǵȄ he ass lihtheart- edl¢ efore slouchin ac ard aainǯ “I didnȂt no ǯȄ is finers find the luteȂs strins and continue pla¢inǯ I can tell eȂre losin his interestǯ “othin more than sleihts of handǰ m¢ eaut¢ǰ trics of the liht and a perceptive use of distractionǯ Andǰ ¢ou no ǰ the help of an assistantǯ eȂs proal¢ still hidin some hereǰ stupid o¢ǰ scared out of his itsǯ I arned him not to runǯȄ e pausesǯ “ThatȂs h¢ IȂm here talin to ¢ouǰ ¢ou no ǯ I anted to tell ¢ou oth that IȂm rateful ¢ou saved m¢ helperǰ and then IȂm oin to leave ¢ou oth to eno¢ ¢our nihtǯ est of luc to ¢ou in findin ¢our oun liteǯȄ The other malfetto was working with him all along. I tae a deep reathǯ omethin aout the a¢ he sa¢s Young Elite triers an old memor¢ǯ e does sound familiarǯ I no IȂve heard this voice eforeǯ ut hereǵ I fro nǰ tr¢in to place the memor¢ǯ Where, where . . .

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And then I reali£e itǯ ¢ prison mateǯ When the Inuisition first arrested me and thre me in their duneonsǰ I had a half-cra£ed com- panion in the cell next to m¢ o nǯ A lauhinǰ ilinǰ sinson voiceǰ one elonin to someone ho IȂd thouht had one mad from his lon imprisonmentǯ Girl. They say you’re a Young Elite. Well, are you? e sees the reconition in m¢ e¢esǰ ecause he pauses aain in his pla¢inǯ “ouȂre main a ver¢ odd faceǰȄ he sa¢sǯ “id ¢ou eat a ad lam se erǵ That happened to me onceǯȄ “We ere in prison toetherǯȄ e stops at m¢ ordsǯ ree£esǯ “IȂm sorr¢ǵȄ “We ere in the same prisonǯ In the cit¢ of aliaǰ some months aoǯ ou must rememerȯI no ¢our voiceǯȄ I tae a deep reathǰ revisitin the memor¢ǯ “I as sentenced to urn that da¢ǯȄ When I suint at him in the darnessǰ I notice that he has stopped smilinǰ and his eas¢ nature has een replaced ith somethin tenseǯ e turns his full stare on meǯ “ouȂre Adelina AmouteruǰȄ he finall¢ murmurs to himselfǰ his a£e anderin across m¢ face ith rene ed interestǯ “esǰ of courseǰ of course ¢ou areǯ I should have sensed itǯȄ I nodǯ or a momentǰ I onder if perhaps IȂve told him too muchǯ oes he no that the Inuisition ants usǵ What if he decides to turn us in to the erroutas soldiersǵ

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e considers me for hat seems lie hoursǯ “ou saved m¢ life that da¢ǰȄ he finall¢ addsǯ I fro n in confusionǯ “ o ǵȄ e smiles aainǰ ut itȂs different from the s eet rin he ave Violettaǯ oǰ IȂve never seen a smile uite lie thisȯ catlieǰ one that slants the corners of his e¢es and ives himǰ for a momentǰ a fierce and savae looǯ The tips of his canines leamǯ is expression has transformed his entire faceǰ turnin him into someone oth intimidatin and char- ismaticǰ and ever¢ thread of his attention is no trained on meǰ as if nothin else in the orld existsǯ e seems to have forotten aout Violetta entirel¢ǯ I donȂt no hat to mae of itǰ ut I can feel m¢ chees startin to flushǯ e stares at me ithout lininǰ hummin ith his music as he pla¢sǯ inall¢ǰ he loos a a¢ and speas aainǯ I let out m¢ reathǯ “If ¢ou are searchin for aianoǰ ¢ou ill have etter luc findin him in the aandoned ath halls of southern erroutasǰ a uildin once called the ittle aths of ethesdaǯ o there tomorro mornin at first lihtǯ IȂve heard he prefers neotiatin in private placesǯȄ e holds up a finerǯ “ut e arnedȯhe doesnȂt tae orders from an¢oneǯ If ¢ou ant to tal to himǰ ¢ouȂll have to ive him a ood reasonǯȄ And efore Violetta or I can sa¢ an¢thin in returnǰ he pushes a a¢ from the alcon¢ǰ turns his acǰ and disap- pears inside the uildinǯ

Řś

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Raffaele Laurent Bessette

Foǯ arl¢ morninǯ A memor¢ of a ¢oun o¢ crouchin arefoot outside the door of his famil¢Ȃs sualid homeǰ pla¢in ith stics in the mudǯ e looed up to see an old man main his a¢ alon the villaeȂs dirt pathǰ his on¢ ha pullin a aon ehind herǯ The child stopped pla¢inǯ e shouted for his motherǰ then stood up as the aon came closerǯ The man stopped efore himǯ The¢ stared at each otherǯ There as somethin aout the childȂs e¢es set in his thin faceȯone as arm as hone¢ǰ the other as riht reen as an emeraldǯ ut there as somethin more than thatȯas the man continued to stareǰ he must have ondered ho someone so ¢oun could ear such a ise expressionǯ e ent inside the little home to spea to the childȂs motherǯ “ou onȂt find man¢ customers in this reion to u¢ trinets and potionsǰȄ his mother said to the manǰ rinin

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her hands in the tin¢ǰ dar room that she shared ith her six childrenǯ er e¢es darted constantl¢ from thin to thinǰ never uite ale to settleǯ “The lood fever has ravaed usǯ It too m¢ husand and m¢ eldest son last ¢earǯ It mared t o of m¢ other childrenǰ as ¢ou can seeǯȄ he estured at the ¢oun o¢ǰ ho looed on uietl¢ ith his e el-toned e¢esǯ “This has al a¢s een a poor villaeǰ sirǰ ut no it is on the vere of collapseǯȄ The child noticed the manȂs e¢es dartin to him aain and aainǯ “And ho are ¢ou farinǰ ithout ¢our hus- andǵȄ the man asedǯ The mother shoo her headǯ “I strule orin in our fieldsǯ I have sold some of our possessionsǯ ur read ill last another fe eesǰ ut it is full of ormsǯȄ The man listened ithout a ordǯ e sho ed no interest in the o¢Ȃs mared rotherǯ When the mother finishedǰ he sat ac and noddedǯ “I mae deliveries et een the port cities of sten£ia and ampaniaǯ I ant to as aout ¢our littlest o¢ǰ the one ith the t o-toned e¢esǯȄ “What do ¢ou ant to no ǵȄ “I ill pa¢ ¢ou five old talents for himǯ e is a comel¢ o¢ȯhe ill fetch a hih price in a lare port cit¢ǯȄ At the motherȂs stunned silenceǰ the man continuedǰ “There are courts in sten£ia that have more e els and riches than ¢ouȂve ever dreamed possileǯ The¢ are orlds of litter and pleasureǰ and the¢ are constantl¢ in need of ne loodǯȄ At thatǰ he nods at the childǯ

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“ou mean ¢ouȂll tae him to a rothelǯȄ The man looed do n at the child aainǯ “oǯ e is too fine featured for a rothelǯȄ e leaned closer to the oman and lo ered his voiceǯ “our mared children ill have a hard time hereǯ I have heard stories aout other villaes that have cast their little ones out into the forestsǰ in fear that the¢ ill rin sicness and misfortune do n on allǯ I have seen them urn childrenǰ infants, alive in the streetsǯ It ill happen here tooǯȄ “It ill notǰȄ the oman replied fiercel¢ǯ “ur neihors are poorǰ ut the¢ are ood peopleǯȄ “esperation rins out the darness in ever¢oneǰȄ the man said ith a shruǯ The t o arued until evenin fellǯ The mother continued to refuseǯ The child listened in silenceǰ thininǯ When niht finall¢ cameǰ the child rose and uietl¢ too his motherȂs handǯ e told her that he ould o ith the manǯ The mother slapped himǰ told him he ould do no such thinǰ ut the child did not udeǯ “ver¢one ill starveǰȄ he said softl¢ǰ statin a simple factǯ “ou are too ¢oun to understand hat ¢ouȂre sacrific- inǰȄ his mother snappedǯ e lanced at his other silinsǯ “It ill e all rihtǰ amaǯȄ The mother looed at her eautiful o¢ǰ admired his e¢esǰ and ran a hand throuh his lac hairǯ er finers

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pla¢ed ith his fe strands of rilliant sapphireǯ he pulled him close to her and criedǯ he hun on for a lon timeǯ e hued her acǰ proud of himself for helpin his motherǰ not no in hat it meantǯ “T elve talentsǰȄ she told the manǯ “ihtǰȄ he counteredǯ “Tenǰ and IȂll not ive up m¢ son for less than thatǯȄ The man as silent for a hileǯ “TenǰȄ he areedǯ The mother exchaned a fe uiet ords ith the manǰ and then released her sonȂs handǯ “What is ¢our nameǰ little o¢ǵȄ the man ased as he helped him into his ricet¢ aonǯ “affaele aurent essetteǯȄ The childȂs voice as solemnǰ his e¢es still fixed on his homeǯ Alread¢ he as startin to feel afraidǯ ould his mother ever visit himǵ id this mean he ould never see his famil¢ aainǵ “Wellǰ affaeleǰȄ the man repliedǰ tappin his mareȂs hinduarters ith his hipǯ e distracted the o¢ ¢ ivin him a hun of read and cheeseǯ “ ave ¢ou ever een to the capital of enettraǵȄ T o ees laterǰ the man sold the child to the ortunata ourt of sten£ia for three thousand old talentsǯ

aěaeleȂs e¢es ĚuĴerǰ then open to the faint liht of da n streamin in throuh the indo ǯ A Ěurr¢ of sno is fallin outsideǯ

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e stirsǯ ven the flicerin fireplace and the furs piled hih on his ed are not enouh to eep a a¢ the ite of cold airǯ affaeleȂs sin pricles from the chillǯ e pulls the furs up to his chin aain and tries to fall ac asleepǯ ut t o ees on a ship sailin throuh storm¢ aters from enettra up to eldain have taen their tollǰ and affaeleȂs od¢ aches from exhaustionǯ The eldish ueenȂs summer castle is a cold and dan placeǰ unlie sten£iaȂs litterin marle halls and armǰ sun-drenched ardensǯ e cannot et used to such a chill¢ summerǯ The other aers must e havin troule restin tooǯ After a hileǰ he sihsǰ pushes the furs a a¢ǰ and rises from edǯ The liht outlines his taut stomachǰ his lean mus- cles and slender necǯ e als on silent feet to here his roe is draped over the foot of the edǯ eȂd orn this roe eforeǰ as the roe had een a present from a enettran no- le omanǰ the uchess of ampaniaǰ several ¢ears aoǯ heȂd ecome so infatuated ith himǰ in factǰ that she thre much of her fortune ehind supportin the aersǯ The more po erful his clientsǰ the more the¢ tried to u¢ his loveǯ e onders if the duchess is ellǯ After the aers fled enettraǰ the¢Ȃd sent doves out to contact their patronsǯ The duchess never respondedǯ affaele slides the lon roe onǰ coverin his od¢ from head to toeǯ The faric is heav¢ and luxuriousǰ poolin at his feetǰ and shimmers in the lihtǯ e runs his finers throuh

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the eiht of his lon lac hairǰ then pulls it up into an el- eant not on the top of his headǯ In the cold mornin sunǰ tin¢ traces of sapphire limmer in his hairǯ is hands trace the cool surface of his sleevesǯ e thins ac to the niht hen n£o had visited his chamersǰ hen he had first arned the prince aout Ade- linaǯ e pauses for a momentǰ suspended in riefǯ o use d ellin on the pastǯ affaele casts a lance ac at the fireplaceǰ then exits the chamer on silent feetǯ is roes pull ehind him in a sheet of heav¢ velvetǯ The corridors smell staleȯcenturies of oldǰ damp stone and the ash of ancient torchesǯ raduall¢ǰ the¢ lihten until the¢ open up to the summer castleȂs ardensǯ The flo ers are dusted ith a thin la¢er of sno that ould melt ¢ the time afternoon cameǯ rom hereǰ affaele can see the castleȂs lo er roundsǰ and e¢ond thatǰ the roc¢ shores of eldainǯ A cool ust nums his chees and hips strands of hair across his faceǯ is a£e shifts to the main court¢ard ithin the castleȂs front atesǯ ormall¢ǰ the space ould e uiet at this hourǯ ut to- da¢ǰ malfettos fleein sten£ia litter the roundsǰ huddled around small fires and under old lanetsǯ Another ship- load of malfettos must have ust arrived in the nihtǯ affaele atches the clusters of people move and shiftǰ then turns ac inside the castle to head do nǯ everal malfettos reconi£e affaele as he maes his a¢

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out into the main court¢ardǯ Their faces liht upǯ “ItȂs the aersȂ leaderǷȄ one exclaimsǯ ther malfettos rush for ardǰ all eaer to touch affa- eleȂs hands and armsǰ hopin for a moment of his ailit¢ to sootheǯ It is a dail¢ ritualǯ affaele stands still in the midst of themǯ o man¢ peopleǰ ein for comfortǯ is e¢es settle on a tall ald o¢ǰ his hair taen a a¢ lon ao ¢ the feverǯ affaele had seen him aitin ¢esterda¢ tooǯ e nods at the o¢ to step for ardǯ is e¢es iden in surpriseǰ and then he rushes to affaeleȂs sideǯ “ ood morninǰȄ he sa¢sǯ affaele loos at him carefull¢ǯ “ ood morninǰȄ he repliesǯ The o¢ lo ers his voiceǯ e seems nervous no that he has manaed to et affaeleȂs attention efore an¢one elseǯ “an ¢ou come see m¢ sisterǵȄ he assǯ “esǰȄ affaele replies ithout hesitationǯ The ald o¢ rihtens at his ans erǯ ie ever¢one elseǰ he seems unale to tear his e¢es a a¢ from affaeleȂs faceǯ e touches the ¢oun consortȂs armǯ “This a¢ǰȄ he sa¢sǯ affaele follo s him throuh the clusters of malfettos. A rouhǰ dar mar spra led all across a forearmǯ A scarred ear and dar hair peppered ith silverǯ ismatched e¢e colorsǯ affaele silentl¢ memori£es the marins he seesǯ Whispers erupt herever he lides pastǯ e reaches the o¢Ȃs sisterǯ he is huddled in a corner of the court¢ardǰ hidin her face ehind a sha lǯ When she

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sees affaele approachǰ she maes herself even smaller and lo ers her e¢esǯ The o¢ leans do n to affaele as the¢ reach herǯ “A n Inuisitor sei£ed her on the niht the¢ roe shop indo s in sten£iaǰȄ he murmursǯ e ends closer and hispers somethin in affaeleȂs earǯ As affaele listensǰ he studies the irlǰ noticin a scratch hereǰ a ruise thereǰ lac and lue marrin the sin of her lesǯ When the o¢ is done talinǰ affaele nods in under- standinǯ e tucs his roe under his les and neels e- side herǯ A ave of her ener¢ ashes over himǯ e incesǯ uch over helmin sadness and fearǯ If Adelina were here, she would use this. eȂs ver¢ careful not to touch the irlǯ A fe clients had done the same to him in his edchamerǰ left him ruised and tremlinȯthe last thin he ever anted after ard as a hand on his sinǯ or a lon timeǰ affaele sits and sa¢s nothinǯ The irl atches him in silenceǰ transfixed ¢ his faceǯ The tension in her shoulders doesnȂt o a a¢ǯ At firstǰ affaele senses a ave of resentment and hostilit¢ from her at his presenceǯ ut affaele ust returns her a£eǯ inall¢ǰ the irl speasǯ “The ead Inuisitor is oin to enslave us allǯ ThatȂs hat eȂve heardǯȄ “esǯȄ “The¢ sa¢ the Inuisition has set up slave camps around sten£iaǯȄ

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“ItȂs trueǯȄ he seems surprised at his refusal to soften the lo ǯ “The¢ sa¢ after the¢Ȃre done ith usǰ the¢Ȃre oin to ill us allǯȄ affaele is silentǯ e no s he doesnȂt need to sa¢ an¢- thin in order to ans er herǯ “Are the aers oin to stop himǵȄ “The aers are oin to destro¢ himǰȄ affaele an- s ersǯ The ords sound strane in his entle voiceǰ lie metal slicin throuh silǯ “I ill see to it personall¢ǯȄ At thatǰ the irl meets his a£eǯ er e¢es ander across his face aainǰ tain in his delicate eaut¢ǯ affaele holds a hand out to her and aits patientl¢ǯ After a hileǰ the irl extends her o n handǯ he touches his tentativel¢ǰ then she aspsǯ Throuh their contactǰ affaele tus entl¢ on her heartstrinsǰ sharin in her heartacheǰ soothin and caress- in as much as he canǰ replacin her sadness ith comfortǯ I know. Tears pricle the irlȂs e¢esǯ he eeps her hand there for a lon timeǰ until at last she pulls a a¢ǰ huddlin ac into her crouch ith her face turned do nǯ “Than ¢ouǰȄ her rother hispersǯ thers cluster ehind affaeleǰ atchin in a eǯ “ItȂs the first time sheȂs spoen since e left sten£iaǯȄ “affaeleǷȄ ucentȂs voice cuts throuh the sceneǯ affaele turns to see the Wind aler cuttin her a¢ throuh the cro dǰ her lond curls ouncin in the airǯ he loos ever¢ inch

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a t¢pical eldish irl here in her homelandǰ ith furs thic around her nec and ristsǰ and a trail of eads clinin in her hairǯ he pauses in front of himǯ “I hate to interrupt ¢our dail¢ healin sessionǰȄ she sa¢sǰ noddin at him to follo herǰ “ut she arrived late last nihtǯ heȂs ased to see usǯȄ affaele nods a fare ell to the malfettos in the court¢ard efore matchin ucentȂs paceǯ he loos aitatedǰ possi- l¢ at havin to trac him do nǰ and she rus her arms incessantl¢ǯ “ enettran summers have turned me softǰȄ she complains as the¢ oǯ “This cold is main m¢ ones acheǯȄ When affaele doesnȂt respondǰ she turns her irritation on himǯ “o ¢ou reall¢ have so much free timeǵȄ she sa¢sǯ “ain sad e¢es at malfetto refuees ever¢ da¢ isnȂt oin to help us strie ac at the InuisitionǯȄ affaele doesnȂt other looin at herǯ “The ald o¢ is an liteǰȄ he repliesǯ ucent maes an incredulous sound in her throatǯ “e- all¢ǵȄ “I noticed it ¢esterda¢ǰȄ he continuesǯ “A ve r ¢ sutle ener¢ǰ ut itȂs thereǯ IȂll send for him laterǯȄ ucent lares at himǯ e can see diselief thereǰ then an- no¢ance that he has surprised herǯ inall¢ǰ she shrusǯ “A h ǰ ¢ou al a¢s have a ood reason for ¢our indnessesǰ donȂt ¢ouǵȄ she muttersǯ “Wellǰ ichel sa¢s the¢Ȃre out on the hillsǯȄ er footsteps speed upǯ affaele doesnȂt add that his heart is still heav¢ǰ as it al-

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a¢s is after he meets the malfettos. That he ishes he could have sta¢ed lonerǰ that he could do more to help themǯ There is no point in mentionin itǯ “our ueen ill forive meǰȄ he sa¢sǯ ucent huffs at that and crosses her armsǯ ut underneath her nonchalant sho ǰ affaele can feel the threads of her ener¢ t ist painfull¢ǰ a not of passion and lonin that has tihtened and tihtened for ¢earsǰ anxious to e re- united ith the eldish princessǯ o lon has it een since ucent as first anished from eldainȯho lon has she een separated from aeveǵ affaele softens to ard her in empath¢ǯ e touches her arm onceȯthe strins of ener¢ around her shimmerǰ and he reaches for themǰ pullin on her po ers to soothe herǯ he lances at him ith a raised e¢ero ǯ “ou ill see herǰȄ affaele sa¢sǯ “I promiseǯ IȂm sorr¢ I ept ¢ou aitinǯȄ ucentȂs tension relaxes a little at his touchǯ “I no ǯȄ The¢ reach a hih stone entrance that opens out into the vast rasslands ehind the castleǯ A smatterin of soldiers are trainin out in the ¢ardǰ and ucent has to lead them in a ide arc around the duelin pairs until the¢ leave the castle ehind and enter the tall rassǯ The¢ crest a small hillǯ affaele shivers in the indǰ linin throuh the sno flurriesǰ and pulls his cloa tihter around his shouldersǯ The other t o aers finall¢ come into vie as the¢ reach the top of the hillǯ ichelǰ the Architectǰ has traded

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in his enettran attire for thic eldish furs that hide his nec from vie ǯ e tals in a lo voice to the irl eside himȯ emmaǰ the tar Thiefǰ still dressed stuornl¢ in her favorite enettran dressǯ ven she has a eldish cloa draped over herselfǰ thouhǰ and tremles in the coldǯ The¢ oth loo up from their conversation to nod at ucent and affaeleǯ affaele returns the estureǰ then shifts his attention to the others in the clearinǯ Inside a circle of soldiers linin the clearinȂs edes are a handful of nolemenȯprincesǰ ud- in from their dar lue sleevesȯand an enormous hite tier ith stripes of oldǯ Its tail s ishes la£il¢ throuh the rassǰ and its e¢es are narro ed into sleep¢ slitsǯ ver¢oneȂs attention is fixed on t o duelin opponents in the center of the clearinǯ ne is a prince ith liht lond hairǰ earin a fro nǯ e stas for ard ith his s ordǯ is opponent is a ¢oun omanȯa irlǰ evenȯ ith furs linin her cloaǯ A fierce line of old decorates one of her cheesǰ and her hairǰ half lac and half oldǰ is tied into an elaorate series of raids that resemle the hacles run- nin do n an anr¢ olfȂs acǯ he easil¢ dodes the staǰ flashes a rin at the princeǰ and s ins her o n s ord to clash ith hisǯ The lade lints in the lihtǯ ichel steps closer to affaeleǯ “he is ueen no ǰȄ he murmursǯ “ er mother died several ees aoǯ I acciden- tall¢ addressed her as er o¢al ihnessȯdonȂt do the sameǯȄ

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affaele nodsǯ “Than ¢ou for the reminderǯȄ Queen Maeve of Beldain. e fro ns as she duelsǯ There is an ener¢ around herǰ the unusual threads that must elon to an liteǯ o one had ever mentioned the eldish princess havin an¢ po ersȯut the sins are all thereǰ litterin in a sheet of movin strins around herǯ Does she even know? Wh¢ ould she eep such a thin secretǵ affaeleȂs attention then shifts to one of the princes atchinǯ The ¢ounest oneǯ is fro n deepensǯ There is an ener¢ aout this one tooǯ ut it is not lie an liteȂs ener¢ǰ threads of viorǰ of the orld that is alive. e linsǰ confusedǯ When he reaches out to touch this strane ener¢ǰ his o n strenth immediatel¢ recoilsǰ as if urned ¢ somethin cold as iceǯ The clash of s ords rins him ac to atchin the duelǯ aeve s ins aain and aain at her older rotherǯ he pushes him to the ede of their circleǰ here the soldiers stand uardȯand thenǰ all of a suddenǰ her rother starts striin ac viciousl¢ǰ forcin her into the center aainǯ affaele atches them closel¢ǯ ven thouh the prince is taller than aeve ¢ a ood footǰ she doesnȂt seem intim- idatedǯ Insteadǰ she calls out a taunt as she pushes aainst his ladeǰ lauhs aainǰ and spinsǯ he tries to catch her rother off uardǰ ut he sees her move firstǯ e suddenl¢ crouches do nǰ aimin for her lesǯ he catches her mistae too lateȯand fallsǯ

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The prince stands over herǰ his s ord pointin at her chestǯ e shaes his headǯ “etterǰȄ he sa¢sǯ “ut ¢ou still strie too eaerl¢ efore ¢ou can tell exactl¢ here m¢ attac ill oǯȄ e estures to his armǰ then maes a slo ǰ s inin motionǯ “ee thisǵ This is hat ¢ou didnȂt catchǯ oo for the anle efore ¢ou choose to strieǯȄ “he cauht itǰ AuustineǰȄ one of the other princes chimes inǯ e ins at aeveǯ “he ust didnȂt react fast enouhǯȄ “I ouldȂve reacted fast enouh to dode your attacsǰȄ aeve calls ac ardǰ pointin her s ord at her second rotherǯ everal of the other princes chucle at her ans erǯ “And ¢ouȂd e limpin home ¢ nihtfallǯȄ he sheathes her s ordǰ als over to ru the tier ehind his earsǰ and nods at Auustineǯ “IȂll do etterǰ I promiseǯ etȂs practice aain in the afternoonǯȄ affaele loos on as the prince ives his little sister a smile and a o ǯ “As ¢ou ishǰȄ he repliesǯ Thenǰ at her rothersȂ esturinǰ she turns her attention to the aersǯ ichel and emma neel immediatel¢ǯ er e¢es fall first on ucentȯa flash of reconition darts across her faceǰ and her lihthearted mood instantl¢ transforms into somethin seriousǯ he sa¢s nothinǯ Insteadǰ she aits hile ucent falls into a neel and o s her headǰ her curls tumlin for ardǯ aeve stares at her for a moment lonerǯ Then her piercin stare darts to affaeleǰ and he lo ers his lashesǯ e follo s ucentȂs leadǯ

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“our aest¢ǰȄ he sa¢sǯ he leans one hand on her s ordȂs hiltǯ er chees are still flushed ith excitementǯ “oo at meǰȄ she commandsǯ “Are ¢ou affaele aurent essetteǵ The essenerǵȄ “I amǰ our aest¢ǯȄ aeve reards him for a momentǯ he seems to stud¢ the summer reen of his left e¢eǰ then the hone¢ old of his rihtǯ he smilesǯ “ouȂre as eautiful as the¢ sa¢ǯ A lovel¢ nameǰ for a lovel¢ faceǯȄ affaele lets himself lushǰ tiltin his head in the famil- iarǰ sutle a¢ he al a¢s did ith his clientsǯ “ou honor meǰ our aest¢ǯ IȂm flattered that m¢ reputation has trav- eled as far as eldainǯȄ aeve atches him thouhtfull¢ǯ “ou ere Prince n- £oȂs most trusted adviserǯ e spoe ver¢ fondl¢ of ¢ouǯ And no I see ¢ou have taen his place as the leader of the aersǯ onratulationsǯȄ affaeleȂs expression turns rave as he tries to inore the familiar pan that n£oȂs name rinsǯ is hearteat uic- ensǯ “It is not somethin I celerateǰȄ he repliesǯ aeveȂs e¢es soften for a momentǰ perhaps in remem- rance of her o n motherȂs deathǯ There seems to e somethin else aout n£oȂs death that intriues herǰ a fleetin emotion that affaele senses in her heartǰ ut she decides aainst mentionin itǰ leavin him to onderǯ “f course notǰȄ she sa¢s in the endǯ Auustine hispers somethin in her earǯ The ¢oun

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ueen leans to ard himȯand althouh she focuses her attention on affaeleǰ he can tell ¢ the shift of her ener¢ that she reall¢ wants to pa¢ attention to ucentǯ “Prince n£oȂs death is not in m¢ favorǰ as IȂd hoped he ould open trade et een enettra and eldainǯ or is it in ¢our favorǰ es- senerǰ ecause he has left ¢ou leaderlessǯ ut the inǰ tooǰ has diedǯ iulietta rules in his place no ǰ ¢ou sa¢ǰ and ne malfetto refuees arrive in m¢ countr¢ ever¢ da¢ǯȄ “ou are ind for tain us inǰ our aest¢ǯȄ “onsenseǯȄ aeve aves a hand impatientl¢ǰ esturin for all of them to riseǯ When the¢ doǰ she histles for her horsesǯ er hite tier rises from his restin spot and saunters over to her sideǯ “The ods created the lood feverǰ affaeleǰȄ she sa¢s as the¢ all pull themselves into saddlesǰ “and so the¢ also created the mared and the liteǯ It is las- phem¢ to ill the children of the odsǯȄ he taps her horseȂs hinduarters ith her heelsǰ then starts leadin them up a hiher hillǯ “I didnȂt tae ¢ou in out of indnessǰ thouhǯ our aers are eaened no ǯ our leader is deadǰ and I hear rumors that one of ¢our o n turned her ac on ¢ouǰ that she as orin ith the Inuisitionǯ our patrons have either iven up and fled or have een captured and illedǯȄ “xcept ¢ouǰȄ affaele sa¢sǯ “our aest¢ǯȄ “xcept meǰȄ she areesǯ “And I am still interested in enettraǯȄ affaele rides in silence as the ¢oun ueen uides them

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up alon the side of a sharp cliffǰ aves crashin aainst the rocs far elo ǯ “What have ¢ou sent us here forǵȄ he assǯ “et me sho ¢ou somethinǯȄ aeve leads them alon the side of the cliff for a hileǰ until the¢ reach an area here the land curves in on itselfǰ formin a shelter from the ild indsǯ ereǰ the¢ ride up so close to the ede that affaele can see the entire a¢ǯ is e¢es idenǯ ehind himǰ ucent aspsǯ undredsȯthousandsȯof eldish arships dot the eaches elo ǯ ailors ustle up and do n anplans to the decsǰ loadin crates on oardǯ The ships stretch far do n the a¢ and out alon here the cliffs trail off into the distanceǯ affaele turns to aeveǯ “ouȂre plannin to invade en- ettraǵȄ “If I canȂt have ¢our malfetto cro n prince sittin on the throneǰ then I ill do it m¢selfǯȄ aeve pausesǰ stud¢in affaeleȂs face for his reactionǯ “ut IȂd lie ¢our helpǯȄ affaele ro s uietǯ The last time eldain ent to ar ith enettra as over a hundred ¢ears aoǯ If n£o could see all thisǰ hat ould he thin of itǵ andin over his cro n to a forein ueenǵ It doesn’t matter, he reminds himself harshl¢ǯ Because Enzo is dead. “What help do ¢ou needǵȄ affaele assǯ “I hear that aster Teren antoro as ehind the inȂs deathǰȄ aeve repliesǯ “Is this trueǵȄ

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“esǯȄ “Wh¢ did he ant the in deadǵȄ “ecause he is in love ith ueen iuliettaǯ he ept Teren at her side precisel¢ for his helpǰ amon other rea- sonsǯȄ “A h ǯ A loverǰȄ aeve sa¢sǯ At thatǰ ucent loos rief- l¢ to the ueenǰ then a a¢ aainǯ “heȂs ¢ounǰ ne ǰ and vulneraleǯ I need the Inuisition and her arm¢ eaenedǯ What can ¢ou do to help me in thisǵȄ affaele furro s his ro sǯ “ iulietta is po erful ith Teren at her sideǰȄ he sa¢sǯ e exchanes loos ith each of his aers as he continuesǯ “ut Teren ans ers to somethin even more po erful than his ueenȯhis elief that he has een ordained ¢ the ods to destro¢ malfettosǯ If e can rea their trust and separate themǰ then this invasion ill have a etter chance at successǯ And in order to rea their trustǰ eȂll have to mae Teren disoe¢ his ueenǯȄ “ eȂll never do such a thinǰȄ ucent chimes inǯ “ ave ¢ou seen Teren around iuliettaǵ ave ¢ou heard him tal aout herǵȄ ichel nods his areementǯ “Teren oe¢s the ueen lie a doǯ eȂd sooner die than insult herǯȄ ven emmaǰ ho has een uiet until no ǰ speas upǯ “If ¢ou ant to turn them aainst each otherǰ eȂll have to et into the cit¢ǰȄ she sa¢sǯ “iht no ǰ itȂs nearl¢ impossile to enter sten£iaǯ All malfettos have een forced outside

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the cit¢ allsǯ The Inuisition uards ever¢ streetǯ We canȂt et over the alls or throuh the atesǰ even ith ucentȂs po ersǯ There are too man¢ soldiersǯȄ aeveȂs furs rush aainst her cheesǯ “ enettra has a ne rulerǰȄ she sa¢sǯ “Accordin to traditionǰ I must sail for sten£ia and see her in personǰ offer her ifts and a el- comeǯ A promise of ood illǯȄ At thatǰ she raises an e¢e- ro and smilesǯ ehind herǰ Auustine lauhs a littleǯ er e¢es turn ac to affaeleǯ “I ill et ¢ou into the cit¢ǰ m¢ essenerǰ if ¢ou can place a ede et een the ueen and her InuisitorǯȄ “I am a consortǰȄ affaele repliesǯ “IȂll find a a¢ǯȄ aeve nods her approvalǯ he stares in silence for a moment at her preparin fleetǯ “There is somethin elseǰȄ she sa¢sǰ ithout looin at himǯ “esǰ our aest¢ǵȄ “Tell meǰ affaeleǰȄ she oes onǰ turnin her head sliht- l¢ in his directionǰ “that ¢ou can sense m¢ po erǯȄ he sa¢s it loudl¢ enouh for the other aers to hearǯ ichelǰ the closestǰ stiffens at her ordsǯ emma inhales sharpl¢ǯ ut affaele notices ucentȂs reaction the mostȯthe suddenǰ sicl¢ paleness of her faceǰ the surprise in her e¢esǯ he lances at affaeleǯ “ er po erǵȄ she assǰ forettin for the first time to re- fer to aeve ¢ her titleǯ affaele hesitatesǰ then o s his head to the ¢oun

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ueenǯ “I doǰȄ he repliesǯ “IȂd thouht it rude to as until ¢ou decided to share itǯȄ aeve smilesǯ “Then it ill e no surprise hen I tell ¢ou that Iǰ tooǰ am an liteǯȄ he doesnȂt seem to react to ucentȂs shocȯalthouh she does riefl¢ lance at herǯ affaele shaes his headǯ “ot a surprise to meǯ ou ma¢ have had a different effect on m¢ aersǰ thouhǯȄ “And can ¢ou uess hat m¢ po er isǵȄ affaele reaches out once aain to stud¢ the ener¢ that surrounds herǯ It is a familiar feelinǰ one that leaves him ith a chillǯ omethin aout her alins ith darnessǰ ith the anels of ear and ur¢ǰ the oddess of eathǯ The same alinments he felt in Adelinaǯ The mere memor¢ of her maes affaeleȂs hands clench tihtl¢ around his horseȂs reinsǯ “I cannot uessǰ our aest¢ǰȄ he repliesǯ aeve loos over her shoulder at the ¢ounest princeǰ ith his duelin mas still onǰ and nodsǯ “TristanǰȄ she sa¢sǯ “et us see ¢our faceǯȄ er other rothers ro uiet at her commandǯ affaele senses ucentȂs heart eat fasterǰ and hen he lances at herǰ he notices her e¢es have ro n ideǯ The ¢ounest prince nodsǰ reaches upǰ and pulls the mas off his faceǯ e resemles aeveǰ as ell as his rothersǯ ut hile the others seem natural and holeǰ this prince is notȯ and aainǰ the eerie ener¢ aout him returnsǰ hauntin affaeleǯ

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“¢ ¢ounest rotherǰ Prince TristanǰȄ aeve sa¢sǯ It is ucent ho finall¢ reas the silenceǯ “ou told me in ¢our letters that he manaed to pull throuhǰȄ she choes outǯ “ou told me he never diedǯȄ “ e didǯȄ aeveȂs expression hardensǯ “A n d I rouht him acǯȄ ucent oes paleǯ “ThatȂs impossileǯ ou saidȯhe almost dro nedȯand ¢our motherȯthe ueen otherȯ anished me for the near death of her sonǯ This is impossi- ble. ouȯȄ he turns to aeveǯ “ou never told meǯ I read nothin aout this in ¢our lettersǯȄ “I couldnȂt tell ¢ouǰȄ aeve ans ers sharpl¢ǯ Then she continuesǰ in a uieter voiceǰ “¢ mother screened ever¢ letter that left the palaceǰ particularl¢ those I meant for ¢ouǯ I could not ris her findin out aout m¢ po erǯ heǰ lie ¢ouǰ lie everyoneǰ assumed that Tristan never diedǰ e- cause I rouht him ac on the same niht she anished ¢ouǯȄ affaele onl¢ staresǰ hardl¢ ale to elieve hat he is it- nessinǯ Threads of ener¢ that do not elon in the land of the livinǯ e understands it no ǰ the unsettlinǰ unnatural ondǯ e also understands immediatel¢ h¢ aeve is tellin them thisǯ “n£oǰȄ he hispersǯ “ou antȯȄ “I ant to rin ac ¢our princeǰȄ aeve finishes for himǯ “Tristanǰ as ¢ou can seeǰ is ale to eno¢ life aainǯ ven more than thatǰ thouhǰ he has rouht some part of

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the nder orld ith himǯ e has ained the strenth of a do£en menǯȄ The thouht of n£o alive aain leaves affaele short of reathǯ The orld spins for a momentǯ No. Wait. There is somethin else aout Prince Tristan that the ueen isnȂt tellin himǯ “A n d hat of lites ho are rouht acǵȄ he assǯ aeve smiles aainǯ “It must amplif¢ his po ers tooǯ And someone as po erful as n£o as ma¢ prove nearl¢ invincile once revivedǯ I ant his po er at our side hen e attac enettraǯ It ill e a testǰ m¢ creation of an Elite amon Elites.Ȅ he leans to ard affaeleǯ “Thin of the possiilitiesȯof the other deceased lites I could reviveǰ of the unridled po er on our sideǯȄ affaele shaes his headǯ e should e overo¢ed at the thouht of seein the prince aainǯ Why am I not? Why does this terrify me? The stain of the nder orld hovers over TristanȂs ener¢ǯ “ou dout that it orsǰȄ aeve sa¢s after a momentǯ “Those I rin ac must al a¢s e tied to someone from the livin orldǯ The¢ need livin threads to hold them a a¢ from the nder orldȂs constant pullǯ Tristan is tied to meǰ ivin me a certain level of controlȯprotectionȯover himǯ n£o ill need to e tethered to someone tooǯȄ Tethered to me. affaeleȂs e¢es narro as he loos at herǯ That is what she means to do. “I cannot e a part of thisǰȄ he finall¢ sa¢sǯ is voice is sharpǰ even in its hoarsenessǯ “This violates the order of the odsǯȄ

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aeveȂs voice hardens no ǯ “I am a child of the odsǰȄ she snapsǯ “I as ifted ith this po erǯ The ods less itȯ it violates no orderǯȄ affaele o s his headǯ is hands are shainǯ “I cannot aree to thisǰ our aest¢ǰȄ he sa¢s aainǯ “n£oȂs soul has one to rest in the nder orldǯ Pullin him acǰ a a¢ from the side of ol¢ oritasǰ and into the real orld aain ǯ ǯ ǯ he does not elon here an¢moreǯ et him restǯȄ “I am not asin ¢our permissionǰ consortǰȄ aeve replies firml¢ǯ When affaele loos up at her aainǰ she lifts her chinǯ “ememerǰ affaeleǰ that n£o as the ro n Prince of enettraǯ A malfetto, an liteǰ ¢our former leaderǯ e did not deserve to dieǯ e deserves to return, to see his countr¢Ȃs malfettos safeǯ I ill rule enettraǰ ut I ill rein- state him in m¢ asenceǯȄ er e¢es are hard as stoneǯ “Is this not hat ¢ou and ¢our aers have lon fouht forǵȄ affaele is silentǯ e is seventeen aainǰ standin efore a sea of noilit¢ at the ortunata ourtǰ sensin n£oȂs ener- ¢ in the cro d for the first timeǯ e is in the underround trainin cavern of the aersȂ former homeǰ atchin the prince duel ith othersǯ affaele loos at ichelǰ then emmaǰ then ucentǯ The¢ loo acǰ rave and silentǯ This should e hat the¢ all antǯ ut n£o diedǯ The¢ rievedǰ and made their peace ith itǯ And no ǯ ǯ ǯ “I will rin him acǰ and I will tether him to an¢one I pleaseǯȄ Thenǰ aeveȂs voice turns entlerǯ “ut IȂd rather

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tie him to those ho care the most for himǯ The ond ith the livin is stronest that a¢ǯȄ tillǰ affaele doesnȂt repl¢ǯ e closes his e¢esǰ illin himself to silence his mindǯ To force a a¢ the churnin sen- sation that he no s this idea is ronǯ inall¢ǰ he opens his e¢es and meets the ueenȂs a£eǯ “Will he e the sameǵȄ “We onȂt no ǰȄ aeve sa¢s slo l¢ǰ “until I tr¢ǯȄ

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