the rose society excerpt

RoseSociety_Sampler_Interior_PRINT

RoseSociety_Sampler_Interior_PRINT.indd 5 4/30/15 4:17 PM

Copyright © 2015 by Xiwei Lu.


Also by Marie LuTHE YOUNG ELITES

LEGEND

PRODIGY

CHAMPION




P Putnam s ons

A YOUNG ELITES NOVELA YOUNG ELITES NOVELA YOUNG ELITES NOVA YOUNG ELITES NOVEL

M A R I E L U




Adelina Amouteru

When as a little irl m mother ould spend lon afternoons tellin me old fol tales remem er one

stor particularl ellnce upon a time a reed prince fell in love ith a

ic ed irlhe prince had far more than he needed ut it as

never enou h hen he re ill he visited the in dom of the reat cean here the nder orld meets the livin

orld to ar ain ith oritas the oddess of eath for more life hen she refused he stole her immortal old and fled to the surface

n reven e oritas sent her dau hter aldora the an el of ur to retrieve him aldora materiali ed out of the sea foam on a arm storm ni ht clad in nothin ut silver sil an achin l eautiful phantom in the mist he prince ran to the shore to reet her he smiled at him and touched his chee




hat ill ou ive me in return for m affection she as ed re ou illin to part ith our in dom our arm and our e els

he prince linded her eaut and ea er to oast nodded n thin ou ant he replied am the reat-est man in the orld ven the ods are no match for me

o he ave her his in dom his arm and his e els he accepted his offerin s ith a smile onl to reveal her true an el form s eletal finned monstrous hen she urned his in dom to the round and pulled him elo the sea into the nder orld here her mother oritas as ait-in patientl he prince tried once a ain to ar ain ith the oddess ut it as too late n exchan e for the old he d stolen oritas devoured his soul

thin of this stor no as stand ith m sister on the dec of a tradin ship loo in to ard the shore here the cit -state of erroutas rises out of the mornin mist

omeda hen am nothin ut dust and ind hat tale ill the tell a out me

nce upon a time a irl had a father a prince a societ of friends hen the etra ed her so she destro ed them all




City-State of MerroutasThe Sealands




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 mi ht e herem startled from m thou hts m sister ioletta s

voice mm murmur loopin m arm throu h hers as e ind our a throu h a cro ded streetVioletta purses her lips in a familiar expression of con-

cern he can tell m distracted ut m rateful she decides to let it o said thin he mi ht e here n the main s uare

t is earl evenin on the lon est da of the ear e are lost in the thic of a cele ration in the cit -state of errou-tas the ealth ustlin crossroads et een enettra and the amouran mpire he sun has nearl dipped elo the hori on and the three moons han lo and plump ripe

olden or s suspended over the ater erroutas is ali ht ith festivities for the idsummer east of reation the




start of a month of fastin Violetta and ander throu h the thron s of revelers lost amid the cele ration s rain o of colors oth of us are dressed in amouran sil s toni ht our hair rapped up and our fin ers adorned ith ron e rin s People draped in asmine arlands are ever here pac ed into the narro alle s and spillin out into the s uares dancin in lon lines around domed palaces and

athin temples e al past ater a s s ollen ith car o-laden oats and uildin s carved in old and silver

ith thousands of repeatin circles and s uares rnate tapestries han from alconies in the smo air oldiers pass us in small clusters earin illo in sil s instead of heav armor a moon-and-cro n em lem stitched onto their sleeves he re not the n uisition xis ut no dou t the ve received eren s orders to find us from across the sea e steer clear of the soldiers

feel as if m in a ha e the cele rations floatin around me t s stran e reall to loo out at all of this o hat do do ith it t doesn t feed m ener nstead sta silent

lettin Violetta uide us throu h the us streets as return to m dar thou hts

ince leavin enettra three ee s a o have o en up to hispers at m edside that fade a a seconds later ther times the hushed voices tal to me hen no one else is around he are not al a s there and cannot al a s understand them even hen the are spea in to me ut can al a s feel their presence lin erin in the




corners of m mind here is a lade there a rotation of sound and silence a lamp that urns lac dar ro -in fire his is hat the sa

Adelina, why do you blame yourself for Enzo’s death? should have had etter control over m illusions re-

spond uietl to the hispers could have saved n o s life should have trusted the a ers sooner

None of it was your fault, the hispers in m head ar ue 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 him nd no he is one

It’s better this way, the hispers sa Haven’t you always waited at the top of the stairs, imagining yourself as queen?

delina Violetta sa s he tu s on m arm and the hispers fade a a

sha e m head and force m self to concentrate re ou sure he s here as

f not him then another litee ve come to erroutas to flee the n uisition s pr in

e es in enettra t is the nearest place outside of enettran control ut eventuall e ll ma e our a south to the

unlands far from their reachut e also came here for another reason




f ou had heard stories a out onl one oun lite the ould have een a out a o named a iano affaele the

eautiful oun consort ho as once m friend mentioned a iano durin m afternoon trainin sessions ith him

ince then ve heard his name on the lips of man travelersome sa he as raised olves in the dense forests

of the m er sles a tin chain of islands far east of en-ettra thers sa he as orn in the hot unland deserts of omacca a astard raised anderin nomads e s rumored to e a ild o almost feral dressed from head to toe in leaves ith a mind and hands as uic silver as a midni ht fox e appeared uite suddenl several ears a o and has since avoided arrest from the n uisition xis do ens of times for ever thin from ille al am lin to stealin the enettran ueen s cro n e els s the stories

o he can lure ou strai ht off a cliff and into the sea ith music from his lute nd hen he smiles his teeth shine

ic edl ri hthou h e no he is a oun lite no one no s for

certain hat his po er is e can onl e sure that he as recentl seen here in erroutas

f ere still the same irl from a ear a o efore ne had po ers m not sure ould have the coura e to

search for such a notorious lite ut then illed m fa-ther oined the a er ociet etra ed them and the

etra ed me r perhaps it as the other a around can never e sure




What I do no is that the a ers are m enemies no When ou re all alone in a orld that hates and fears

ou ou ant to find others li e ourself e friends Elite friends riends ho can help ou uild our o n societ

riends li e a iano“Salaam, lovel amouran irlsWe enter another lar e s uare near the a ll alon the

sides are food stalls ith steamin pots and street opera-tors in lon -nosed mas s performin ta le tric s ne of the food vendors smiles hen e loo at him is hair is hidden ehind a amouran rap and his eard is dar and

ell-trimmed e o s to us I touch m o n head instinc-tivel silver hair is still short and scra l from m at-tempt to cut it off and it sta s hidden toni ht ehind t o lon strips of old sil adorned ith a headdress of old tassels dan lin a ove m ro s I have oven an illusion over the scarred side of m face o this man m pale lashes are lac and m e es are fla less

I lance at hat he s sellin teamin pans of stuffed rape leaves lam s e ers and arm flat read mouth aters“Prett irls from the homeland he coos at us I don t

understand the rest of hat he sa s other than “please come and “ rea our fast I smile ac at him and nod I ve never een in a cit so heavil amouran It almost feels li e comin home




You could rule a place like this, sa the hispers in m head and m heart fills ith lee

nce e approach his stall Violetta di s out a couple of ron e talents and hands them over to the man I sta

ac I atch as she ma es him lau h then he leans over to murmur somethin and she lushes demurel Violetta responds ith a smile that could devastate the sun t the end of this exchan e she turns a a ith t o s e ers of meat s she leaves his stand the vendor stares at her ac

efore turnin his attention to ne customers e s itches the lan ua e of his reetin a ain “Avei, avei! or et the

am lin and come have some fresh flat readVioletta hands a ron e talent to me “ discount she

sa s “ ecause he li ed us“ eet Violetta I arch an e e ro at her as I ta e one

of the s e ers We ve ept our purses full so far ecause I can use m po ers to steal coins from no lemen hat is m contri ution ut Violetta s s ill is entirel different “ t this rate the ll e paying us to eat their food

“ hat s hat I m or in to ard Violetta replies ith an innocent smile that s not innocent at all er e es an-der the s uare pausin here an enormous onfire urns in front of a temple “We re ettin closer she sa s as she ta es a delicate ite “ is ener isn t ver stron It shifts as e o

fter e eat I follo Violetta as she practices her po -er uidin us throu h the people in a lon a ed pattern




ver ni ht since e fled sten ia e ve sat across from each other and I ve let her experiment on me ust li e ho she used to raid m hair hen e ere little he pulls and tu s hen I lindfold her and al silentl around the room testin hether or not she can sense m location

he reaches out to touch the threads of m ener stud in their structure It feels li e an invisi le hand reachin do n m throat pullin m po er ri ht out of m od I can tell she s ettin stron er

It fri htens me ut Violetta and I made a promise after e left the a ers We ill never use our po ers a ainst

each other If Violetta ants protection ith m illusions I ill al a s ive it In return Violetta ill al a s leave m a ilities untouched hat is all

I have to trust someoneWe ander for almost an hour efore Violetta stops in

the middle of the s uare he fro ns I ait eside her stud in her face “ id ou lose him

“ a e Violetta replies I can arel hear her over the music We ait a moment lon er efore she finall turns to her left noddin for me to follo

Violetta pauses a ain he turns in a circle and then folds her arms ith a si h “I lost him a ain she sa s “Perhaps

e should o ac the a e camehe ords have arel left her mouth hen another

street vendor stops us in our trac s e is dressed li e all the other operators his face entirel o scured a lon -nosed




dottore mas his od shrouded in colorful mismatched ro es t second lance I notice that those ro es are made of luxurious sil finel oven and d ed ith rich in s e ta es Violetta s hand holds it up to his mas as if to iss it and puts a hand over his heart e estures for oth of us to oin the small circle around his stand

I reco ni e the scheme ri ht a a a enettran am-lin ame here the operator places t elve colorful stones efore ou and as s ou to choose three e ll then mix the

stones underneath cups thers can pla ith ou at the same time If ou are the onl one to uess here all three are hidden then ou not onl in ac our o n mon-e ut ever one else s et alon ith the operator s entire purse ne loo at the operator s heav purse tells me he has not lost a round in a hile

he operator o s at us ithout a ord and estures for us to choose three stones e does the same to the others

athered eside us I loo on as t o other revelers cast their ets enthusiasticall n our other side is a oun malfet-

to o e is mar ed the lood fever ith an unseeml lac rash across his ear and chee ehind his thou htful

fa ade is an undercurrent of fearMmm. ener turns to ard him li e a olf dra n to

the scent of loodVioletta leans in close to me “ et s tr a round she sa s

her e es also pinned to the malfetto o “I thin I sense somethin




I nod at the street operator then drop t o old talents into his outstretched hand e o s at me ith a flourish “ or m sister and me I sa pointin at the three stones

e ant to et onhe operator nods silentl at us hen he starts to mix

the stonesVioletta and I eep our attention on the malfetto o e

atches the cups spin ith a loo of concentration on his face s e ait for the operator the other pla ers loo in his direction and lau h fe malfetto eers are thro n out

he o ust i nores theminall the operator stops spinnin the cups e lines all

t elve up in a ro then folds his arms ac into his ro es and nods at all the pla ers to uess hich cups their colors are in

“ our seven and ei ht the first pla er calls out slap-pin the operator s ta le

“ o five nine another pla er replieso more shout out their uesses

he operator turns to us I lift m head “ ne t o and three I sa he others lau h a little at m et ut I i nore them

The malfetto o casts his et too “ ix seven and t elve he calls out

The operator lifts the first cup then the second and third I ve alread lost I pretend to loo disappointed in losin

ut m attention sta s focused on the malfetto o Six, seven,



RoseSociety_Sampler_Interior_PRINTTE

XT

SH

OR

T

and twelve. When the operator ets to the sixth cup he flips it over to reveal that the o had chosen correctl

The operator points to the o e lets out a hoop The other pla ers cast him an u l loo

The operator lifts the seventh cup The o has uessed correctl a ain The other pla ers start to loo nervousl at each other If the o ets the last one ron e all lose to the operator ut if the o uesses the third one correctl then he ets all of our mone

The operator overturns the final cup The o is correct e insThe operator lances up sharpl The malfetto o lets out

a surprised shout of o hile the other pla ers lare an ri-l at him ate appears in their chests as spar s flashes of ener that mer e into lac spots

“What do ou thin I as Violetta “ o ou sense an -thin a out his ener

Violetta s a e sta s fixed on the cele ratin o “ ol-lo him

The operator reluctantl hands over his purse alon ith the mone that the rest of us et s the o collects the

coins I notice the other pla ers mutterin amon st them-selves When the o leaves the operator s stand the others trail ehind him their faces an r and shoulders tense

The are oin to attac him “ et s o I hisper to Violetta he follo s ithout a ord




TEX

T S

HO

RT

or a hile the o seems too happ ith his innin s to notice the dan er he has put himself in It isn t until he reaches the ed e of the s uare that he finall notices the other pla ers e eeps oin ut no at a nervous pace I sense his in lin of fear ro to a stead tric le and the s eet taste of it entices me

The o darts out of the s uare and onto a narro side street here the li hts are dim and the people scarce Vi-oletta and I settle into the shado s and I paint a su tle illusion over us to eep us hidden I fro n at the o person as notorious as a iano surel ouldn t e this tactless

inall one of the other am lers catches up ith him efore the o can lift his hands up the am ler trips him

second am ler pretends to stum le over his od ut ic s him in the stomach as he oes The o lets out a elp is fear chan es to terror and no I can see the threads of

it hoverin over him in a dar shimmerin eIn the lin of an e e the other am lers have sur-

rounded him ne ra s him his shirt and shoves him up a ainst the all is head hits the all hard and in an instant his e es roll ac e collapses to the round and curls up into a all

“Wh did ou run a a one of them sa s to the malfet-to. “ ou seemed to e en o in ourself cheatin us out of all our mone




The others chime in“What does a malfetto need all that mone for an a“ oin to hire a dottore to fix our mar in s“ irin a hore so ou can find out hat it s li eI atch calml When I first oined the a ers and it-

nessed malfettos ein a used I ould o ac to m cham-er and cr I ve seen it enou h times no to sta composed

to let the fear of such a scene feed me ithout feelin uilt a out it o as the attac ers continue to torture the o I stand and feel nothin ut anticipation

The malfetto o scram les to his feet efore the others can stri e him a ain he dashes do n the street The pur-sue him

“ e s not an lite Violetta murmurs as the o he sha es her head her expression enuinel pu led “I m sorr I must have sensed someone else

I don t no h I feel a desire to eep follo in the roup If he s not a iano then I have no reason to help

him a e it s pent-up frustration or the allure of dar feelin s r the memor of the a ers refusal to ever ris savin malfettos unless the ere lites Perhaps it s the memor of m self pushed a ainst an iron sta e pelted ith stones aitin to urn efore an entire cit

or a fleetin moment I ima ine that if I ere ueen I could ma e the act of hurtin malfettos a crime I could exe-cute this o s pursuers ith a sin le command

I start hurr in after them “ ome on I ur e Violetta




“ on t she starts to tell me even thou h she no s it s pointless

“I ll e nice I smilehe raises an e e ro at me “ our idea of nice is differ-

ent from othersWe hurr alon in the dar ness invisi le ehind an il-

lusion I ve oven houts come from up ahead as the o turns a corner in an attempt to thro off his pursuers o use s e dra near I hear the others catch up to him and his cr of pain rin out When e turn the corner too the attac ers have completel surrounded him ne of them

noc s the o to the round ith a lo to the faceI act efore I can stop m self In one move I reach out

and push aside the threads hidin us from vie Then I al strai ht into their circle Violetta sta s here she is

loo in on uietlIt ta es a moment for the attac ers to notice me there

not until I al ri ht over to the uiverin malfetto o and stand in front of him do the finall see me The hesitate

“What s this the rin leader mutters confused for a moment is e es dart across the illusion still hidin m scarred face What he sees is a hole eautiful irl is rin returns “Is this our hore filth malfetto he taunts the

o “ o did ou et so luc oman eside him ives me a suspicious loo “ he

as the other am ler in our circle she sa s to the others “ he pro a l helped the o in




“ h ou re ri ht the rin leader replies e turns on me “ o ou have other innin s on ou then our share perhaps

couple of the other attac ers don t seem so sure ne of them notices the smile on m face and ives me a nervous stare then loo s ac at here Violetta aits “ et s ust finish this he protests holdin up a pouch “We ot the mone ac alread

The rin leader clic s his ton ue “We are not ma in a ha it of lettin people o he replies “ o od li es a cheat

I shouldn t e usin m po ers so carelessl ut this is a dar alle and I can t resist the temptation an more utside their rin Violetta tu s faintl a ainst m ener in protest sensin m next move I i nore her and stand m round Then I slo l unravel the illusion over m face features

uiver transformin raduall so that a lon scar e ins to emer e over m left e e then the scarred s in here m e e used to e the rou h a used flesh from an old ound

dar lashes turn pale silver I ve een or in on the precision of m illusions ho fast and slo I can eave them I can ield m threads of ener more accuratel no it it I reveal m true self to the rin of people

The stare fro en in place at the scarred side of m face I m surprised that I en o their reaction The don t even seem to notice the malfetto o scram lin out of the circle to press himself a ainst the closest all




The rin leader sco ls at me efore pullin out a nife “ demon he sa s The first note of uncertaint enters his voice

“Perhaps I repl voice comes out cold It s a voice I am still ettin used to

The man is a out to attac hen somethin on the round distracts him e loo s do n at the co lestones

and there he sees a tin ri on of ri ht red sna in its a alon the stones rooves It loo s li e a little lost creature

anderin ac and forth The man s ro s furro e leans do n to ard the tin illusion

Then the red line ursts into a do en more lines all dart-in a a in different directions and leavin trails of lood in their a e ver one er s ac ard

“What in the ods he startsI eave the lines furiousl across the round and then

up alon the alls do ens turnin into hundreds into thou-sands until the entire street is covered in a harsh field of them I lot out the li ht filterin do n from the lanterns and create an illusion instead of scarlet storm clouds over-head

The man s composure crac s revealin alarm is com-panions ta e hurried steps a a from me as the lood lines cover the street ear clouds their chests and the feel-in sends a sur e of stren th and hun er throu h me illusions ma e them afraid and in turn their fear ma es me stron er




Stop. I can feel Violetta pullin on m ener a ain a -e I should These attac ers have alread lost their thirst

for more mone after all ut instead I shru her off and eep oin This ame is fun I used to e more ashamed of

such a feelin ut no I thin h shouldn t I hate Wh shouldn t it rin me o

The man suddenl lifts his nife a ain I eep eavin You can’t see the knife, the hispers in m head taunt him Where is it? You just had it a moment ago, but you must have left it somewhere. ven thou h I can see the eapon in his hand he loo s at it in ra e and e ilderment To him it has van-ished completel

The attac ers finall ive in to their fear several flee hile others huddle a ainst the all fro en The rin leader

turns and tries to run a a I rit m teeth Then I snap the thousands of lood lines across him pullin them as ti ht as I can as if he can no feel the slice and urn of ra or-thin threads rippin across his flesh The rin leader s e es ul e for a moment efore he falls shrie in to the round I ti hten the sharp threads around him li e a spider trappin pre in her sil en cocoon It feels like the strings are sawing through your skin, doesn’t it?

“ delina m sister calls out ur entl “The othersI ta e in her arnin lon enou h to see t o others

ather enou h coura e to rush to ard me the oman from earlier and another man I lash out ashin the il-lusion over them too The fall The thin their s in is




ein ripped from their flesh and the a on ends them over dou le

I am concentratin so hard no that m hands are sha -in The man stru les to ard the end of the street and I let him cra l What must it e li e seein the orld ri ht no from his point of vie I continue pourin the illusion over him ima inin hat he must e seein and feelin e s so in no usin all of his stren th for ever movement

It is nice ein po erful eein others end to our ill I ima ine this must e ho in s and ueens feel

that ith ust a fe ords the can i nite a ar or enslave an entire population This must e hat I fantasi ed a out as a little irl crouchin on the stairs of m old home pre-tendin to ear a heav cro n on m head and loo out at a sea of neelin fi ures

“ delina no Violetta hispers he s standin eside me no ut I am so focused on hat I m doin that I hard-l sense her there “ ou ve tau ht them enou h of a lesson

et them oI ti hten m fists and eep oin “ ou could stop me I

repl ith a ti ht smile “if ou reall anted toVioletta doesn t ar ue m point Perhaps deep do n

she even ants me to do it he ants to see me defend m -self o instead of forcin me to stop she puts a hand on m arm ur promise to each other

“The malfetto o escaped she sa s er voice is ver soft “ ave our fur for somethin reater




omethin in her voice cuts m an er I m not sure h uddenl I feel the exhaustion of usin so much ener all

at once I release the man from m illusion s hold e col-lapses on the co lestones clutchin at his chest as if he can still feel the threads cuttin throu h his flesh is face is a mess of tears and spit I ta e a step ac feelin ea

“ ou re ri ht I mutter at Violetta fun is over this one s not orth the trou le

Violetta sa s nothin he onl si hs in relief and steadies me

I lean do n to ard the trem lin rin leader so that he can have a ood loo at m scarred face e can t even rin himself to loo up at me “I ll e atchin ou I sa It doesn t matter if m ords are true or not In this state I

no he on t dare test it Instead he ust nods in a rapid er movement Then he sta ers to his feet and runs a a

The others do the same Their footsteps echo do n the street until the turn the corner here the sound lends into the noise of the festivities In their a sence I let out m

reath m coura e spent and turn to Violetta he loo s deathl pale er hand has clasped mine so ti htl that our fin ers have turned hite We stand to ether on the no silent street I sha e m head

The malfetto o e saved couldn t have een a ia-no e isn t an lite nd even if he ere he s alread run a a I si h then neel do n and stead m self a ainst the round The entire incident has onl left me itter Why




didn’t you kill him? the hispers in the ac of m head sa to me upset

I don t no ho lon e sta here efore a faint muf-fled voice overhead startles us

“ o much for ein nice eh it sa sThe voice is oddl familiar I lance around at the hi her

floors around us ut in the dar ness it s hard to ma e out an thin I ta e a step ac into the middle of the street ff in the distance the sounds of cele rations continue

Violetta tu s m hand er e es are fixed on a alcon across from us “ im she hispers When I loo I finall see a mas ed fi ure leanin a ainst the alcon s mar le led e atchin us in silence it s the operator ho ran our

am lin ame sister leans close to me “ e s an lite He’s the one I

sensed




Adelina Amouteru

He doesn t react hen he sees us loo in acInstead he sta s slouched a ainst the all and

unstraps a lute from his ac e pluc s a fe strin s thou htfull as if tunin the instrument and then flin s off his dottore mas ith a runt of impatience o ens of lon dar raids tum le do n around his shoulders is ro es are loose and un uttoned half a do n his chest and ro s of thic old an les adorn oth of his arms

ri ht a ainst his ron e s in I can t ma e out his features ell ut even from here I can tell that his e es are a old

hone color and the seem to lo in the ni ht“I ve een atchin ou t o ma e our a throu h

the cro ds he continues ith a sl smile is a e shifts to Violetta “It s impossi le not to notice someone li e ou The trail of ro en hearts left in our a e must e lon and frau ht ith peril nd et I m sure suitors continue to




thro themselves at our feet desperate for a chance to in our affection

Violetta fro ns “I e our pardon“ ou re eautifulVioletta flushes ri ht red I step closer to the alcon

“ nd ho are ou I call up to himis notes turn into a melod as he starts to pla in ear-

nest The tune distracts me despite his flippant attitude he pla s ith s ill Hypnotizing s ill There as a place ehind m old home here Violetta and I used to hide inside the hollo s of the trees Whenever the ind rustled throu h the leaves it sounded li e lau hter in the air and e ould ima ine it as the lau hter of the ods as the en o ed a cool sprin afternoon This m sterious person s music reminds me of that sound is fin ers run alon the len th of the lute s strin s in fluid stro es the son as natural as a sunset

Violetta lances at me and I reali e he is ma in the tune up on the spot

He can lure you straight off a cliff and into the sea with music from his lute.

“As for you, the o sa s in et een notes shiftin his attention from Violetta to me “ o d ou do it

I lin at him still distracted “ o hat I reple pauses lon enou h to shoot an irritated lance at

me “ h for the ods sa es stop ein so co is voice sta s nonchalant as he pla s “ ou re o viousl an lite o

o d ou do it ith the lood lines and the nife




Violetta ives me a uiet nod efore I o on “ sister and I have een searchin for someone for months I sa

“Is that so idn t no m little am lin stand as so popular

“We re loo in for a oun lite named a ianoe stops tal in as he pla s throu h a fast series of notes

is fin ers fl alon the lute s strin s in a lur of motion ut the notes each come out crisp and clear a solute per-

fection e pla s for hat seems li e a lon time There is a stor in his notes as he ma es it up somethin cheer and

istful ma e even humorous some secret o e I ant him to ans er us ut at the same time I don t ant him to stop pla in

inall he pauses to loo at me “Who s a ianoVioletta ma es a muffled sound in her throat hile I

can t help ut cross m arms and sniff in dis elief “ urel ou ve heard of a iano m sister sa s

e turns his head to the side then ives Violetta a in-some smile “If ou came here to as me m opinions a out ima inar people m eaut then ou re astin our time The onl a iano I ve ever heard of is a threat moth-ers use to ma e their children tell the truth e aves one hand in the air “ ou no 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.

I open m mouth to sa somethin ut he continues as if tal in to himself “That s enou h proof I thin he




sa s ith a shru “ atin pets is dis ustin and stealin ton ues is rude Who ould do such a thin

A little ri on of dou t creeps into m chest What if he s tellin us the truth e certainl doesn t loo li e the o from all the stories “ o do ou operate our am lin

ame and in so fre uentl“Ah that. The o continues pla in his son for a

hile Then he pauses a ruptl leans do n to ard us and holds oth hands up e smiles flashin his teeth “Magic.

I smile ac “ a iano s tric s ou mean“Is that here the ord comes from he as s li htheart-

edl efore slouchin ac ard a ain “I didn t no is fin ers find the lute s strin s and continue pla in I can tell e re losin his interest “ othin more than slei hts of hand m eaut tric s of the li ht and a perceptive use of distraction And ou no the help of an assistant e s pro a l still hidin some here stupid o scared out of his its I arned him not to run e pauses “That s h I m here tal in to ou ou no I anted to tell ou oth that I m rateful ou saved m helper and then I m oin to leave ou oth to en o our ni ht est of luc to ou in findin our oun lite

The other malfetto was working with him all along. I ta e a deep reath omethin a out the a he sa s Young Elite tri ers an old memor e does sound familiar I no I ve heard this voice efore ut here I fro n tr in to place the memor Where, where . . .




And then I reali e it prison mate When the In uisition first arrested me

and thre me in their dun eons I had a half-cra ed com-panion in the cell next to m o n A lau hin i lin sin son voice one elon in to someone ho I d thou ht had one mad from his lon imprisonment Girl. They say you’re a Young Elite. Well, are you?

e sees the reco nition in m e es ecause he pauses a ain in his pla in “ ou re ma in a ver odd face he sa s “ id ou eat a ad lam s e er That happened to me once

“We ere in prison to ethere stops at m ords ree es “I m sorr

“We ere in the same prison In the cit of alia some months a o ou must remem er I no our voice I ta e a deep reath revisitin the memor “I as sentenced to urn that da

When I s uint at him in the dar ness I notice that he has stopped smilin and his eas nature has een replaced

ith somethin tense e turns his full stare on me“ ou re Adelina Amouteru he finall murmurs to

himself his a e anderin across m face ith rene ed interest “ es of course of course ou are I should have sensed it

I nod or a moment I onder if perhaps I ve told him too much oes he no that the In uisition ants us What if he decides to turn us in to the erroutas soldiers




e considers me for hat seems li e hours “ ou saved m life that da he finall adds

I fro n in confusion “ oe smiles a ain ut it s different from the s eet rin he

ave Violetta o I ve never seen a smile uite li e thiscatli e one that slants the corners of his e es and ives him for a moment a fierce and sava e loo The tips of his canines leam is expression has transformed his entire face turnin him into someone oth intimidatin and char-ismatic and ever thread of his attention is no trained on me as if nothin else in the orld exists e seems to have for otten a out Violetta entirel I don t no hat to ma e of it ut I can feel m chee s startin to flush

e stares at me ithout lin in hummin ith his mu-sic as he pla s inall he loo s a a and spea s a ain I let out m reath “If ou are searchin for a iano ou ill have etter luc findin him in the a andoned ath halls of southern erroutas a uildin once called the ittle aths of ethesda o there tomorro mornin at first li ht I ve heard he prefers ne otiatin in private places e holds up a fin er “ ut e arned he doesn t ta e orders from an one If ou ant to tal to him ou ll have to ive him a ood reason

And efore Violetta or I can sa an thin in return he pushes a a from the alcon turns his ac and disap-pears inside the uildin




Raffaele Laurent Bessette

Fo arl morninA memor of a oun o crouchin arefoot out-

side the door of his famil s s ualid home pla in ith stic s in the mud e loo ed up to see an old man ma in his a alon the villa e s dirt path his on ha pullin a

a on ehind her The child stopped pla in e shouted for his mother then stood up as the a on came closer

The man stopped efore him The stared at each other There as somethin a out the child s e es set in his thin face one as arm as hone the other as ri ht reen as an emerald ut there as somethin more than that as the man continued to stare he must have ondered ho some-one so oun could ear such a ise expression

e ent inside the little home to spea to the child s mother

“ ou on t find man customers in this re ion to u trin ets and potions his mother said to the man rin in




her hands in the tin dar room that she shared ith her six children er e es darted constantl from thin to thin never uite a le to settle “The lood fever has rava ed us It too m hus and and m eldest son last ear It mar ed t o of m other children as ou can see he estured at the oun o ho loo ed on uietl ith his e el-toned e es “This has al a s een a poor villa e sir ut no it is on the ver e of collapse

The child noticed the man s e es dartin to him a ain and a ain “And ho are ou farin ithout our hus-

and the man as edThe mother shoo her head “I stru le or in in our

fields I have sold some of our possessions ur read ill last another fe ee s ut it is full of orms

The man listened ithout a ord e sho ed no interest in the o s mar ed rother When the mother finished he sat ac and nodded “I ma e deliveries et een the port cities of sten ia and ampa nia I ant to as a out our littlest o the one ith the t o-toned e es

“What do ou ant to no“I ill pa ou five old talents for him e is a comel

o he ill fetch a hi h price in a lar e port citAt the mother s stunned silence the man continued

“There are courts in sten ia that have more e els and riches than ou ve ever dreamed possi le The are orlds of litter and pleasure and the are constantl in need of ne lood At that he nods at the child




“ ou mean ou ll ta e him to a rothelThe man loo ed do n at the child a ain “ o e is too

fine featured for a rothel e leaned closer to the oman and lo ered his voice “ our mar ed children ill have a hard time here I have heard stories a out other villa es that have cast their little ones out into the forests in fear that the ill rin sic ness and misfortune do n on all I have seen them urn children infants, alive in the streets It ill happen here too

“It ill not the oman replied fiercel “ ur nei h ors are poor ut the are ood people

“ esperation rin s out the dar ness in ever one the man said ith a shru

The t o ar ued until evenin fell The mother continued to refuse

The child listened in silence thin inWhen ni ht finall came the child rose and uietl too

his mother s hand e told her that he ould o ith the man The mother slapped him told him he ould do no such thin ut the child did not ud e

“ ver one ill starve he said softl statin a simple fact“ ou are too oun to understand hat ou re sacrific-

in his mother snappede lanced at his other si lin s “It ill e all ri ht

amaThe mother loo ed at her eautiful o admired his

e es and ran a hand throu h his lac hair er fin ers




pla ed ith his fe strands of rilliant sapphire he pulled him close to her and cried he hun on for a lon time e hu ed her ac proud of himself for helpin his mother not no in hat it meant

“T elve talents she told the man“ i ht he countered“Ten and I ll not ive up m son for less than thatThe man as silent for a hile “Ten he a reedThe mother exchan ed a fe uiet ords ith the man

and then released her son s hand“What is our name little o the man as ed as he

helped him into his ric et a on“ affaele aurent essette The child s voice as solemn

his e es still fixed on his home Alread he as startin to feel afraid ould his mother ever visit him id this mean he ould never see his famil a ain

“Well affaele the man replied tappin his mare s hind uarters ith his hip e distracted the o ivin him a hun of read and cheese “ ave ou ever een to the capital of enettra

T o ee s later the man sold the child to the ortunata ourt of sten ia for three thousand old talents

<>

a aele s e es u er then open to the faint li ht of da n streamin in throu h the indo A urr of sno is fallin outside




e stirs ven the flic erin fireplace and the furs piled hi h on his ed are not enou h to eep a a the ite of cold air affaele s s in pric les from the chill e pulls the furs up to his chin a ain and tries to fall ac asleep ut t o

ee s on a ship sailin throu h storm aters from en-ettra up to eldain have ta en their toll and affaele s od aches from exhaustion The eldish ueen s summer castle is a cold and dan place unli e sten ia s litterin mar le halls and arm sun-drenched ardens e cannot et used to such a chill summer The other a ers must e havin trou le restin too

After a hile he si hs pushes the furs a a and rises from ed The li ht outlines his taut stomach his lean mus-cles and slender nec e al s on silent feet to here his ro e is draped over the foot of the ed e d orn this ro e

efore as the ro e had een a present from a enettran no-le oman the uchess of ampa nia several ears a o he d ecome so infatuated ith him in fact that she thre

much of her fortune ehind supportin the a ers The more po erful his clients the more the tried to u his love

e onders if the duchess is ell After the a ers fled enettra the d sent doves out to contact their patrons The

duchess never respondedaffaele slides the lon ro e on coverin his od from

head to toe The fa ric is heav and luxurious poolin at his feet and shimmers in the li ht e runs his fin ers throu h




the ei ht of his lon lac hair then pulls it up into an el-e ant not on the top of his head In the cold mornin sun tin traces of sapphire limmer in his hair is hands trace the cool surface of his sleeves

e thin s ac to the ni ht hen n o had visited his cham ers hen he had first arned the prince a out Ade-lina e pauses for a moment suspended in rief

o use d ellin on the past affaele casts a lance ac at the fireplace then exits the cham er on silent feet is ro es pull ehind him in a sheet of heav velvet

The corridors smell stale centuries of old damp stone and the ash of ancient torches raduall the li hten until the open up to the summer castle s ardens The flo ers are dusted ith a thin la er of sno that ould melt the time afternoon came rom here affaele can see the castle s lo er rounds and e ond that the roc shores of

eldain A cool ust num s his chee s and hips strands of hair across his face

is a e shifts to the main court ard ithin the castle s front ates

ormall the space ould e uiet at this hour ut to-da malfettos fleein sten ia litter the rounds huddled around small fires and under old lan ets Another ship-load of malfettos must have ust arrived in the ni ht affaele

atches the clusters of people move and shift then turns ac inside the castle to head do n

everal malfettos reco ni e affaele as he ma es his a




XT

SH

OR

T

out into the main court ard Their faces li ht up “It s the a ers leader one exclaims

ther malfettos rush for ard all ea er to touch affa-ele s hands and arms hopin for a moment of his a ilit to soothe It is a dail ritual affaele stands still in the midst of them o man people e in for comfort

is e es settle on a tall ald o his hair ta en a a lon a o the fever affaele had seen him aitin esterda too e nods at the o to step for ard is e es iden in surprise and then he rushes to affaele s side

“ ood mornin he sa saffaele loo s at him carefull “ ood mornin he replies

The o lo ers his voice e seems nervous no that he has mana ed to et affaele s attention efore an one else “ an ou come see m sister he as s

“ es affaele replies ithout hesitationThe ald o ri htens at his ans er i e ever one else

he seems una le to tear his e es a a from affaele s face e touches the oun consort s arm “This a he sa s

affaele follo s him throu h the clusters of malfettos. A rou h dar mar spra led all across a forearm A scarred ear and dar hair peppered ith silver ismatched e e colors affaele silentl memori es the mar in s he sees Whispers erupt herever he lides past

e reaches the o s sister he is huddled in a corner of the court ard hidin her face ehind a sha l When she




TEX

T S

HO

RT

sees affaele approach she ma es herself even smaller and lo ers her e es

The o leans do n to affaele as the reach her “An In uisitor sei ed her on the ni ht the ro e shop indo s in sten ia he murmurs e ends closer and hispers somethin in affaele s ear As affaele listens he studies the irl noticin a scratch here a ruise there lac and

lue marrin the s in of her le sWhen the o is done tal in affaele nods in under-

standin e tuc s his ro e under his le s and neels e-side her A ave of her ener ashes over him e inces

uch over helmin sadness and fear If Adelina were here, she would use this. e s ver careful not to touch the irl A fe clients had done the same to him in his edcham er left him ruised and trem lin the last thin he ever ant-ed after ard as a hand on his s in

or a lon time affaele sits and sa s nothin The irl atches him in silence transfixed his face The tension

in her shoulders doesn t o a a At first affaele senses a ave of resentment and hostilit from her at his presence ut affaele ust returns her a e

inall the irl spea s “The ead In uisitor is oin to enslave us all That s hat e ve heard

“ es“The sa the In uisition has set up slave camps around

sten ia




“It s truehe seems surprised at his refusal to soften the lo

“The sa after the re done ith us the re oin to ill us all

affaele is silent e no s he doesn t need to sa an -thin in order to ans er her

“Are the a ers oin to stop him“The a ers are oin to destro him affaele an-

s ers The ords sound stran e in his entle voice li e metal slicin throu h sil “I ill see to it personall

At that the irl meets his a e er e es ander across his face a ain ta in in his delicate eaut affaele holds a hand out to her and aits patientl After a hile the irl extends her o n hand he touches his tentativel then she

asps Throu h their contact affaele tu s entl on her heartstrin s sharin in her heartache soothin and caress-in as much as he can replacin her sadness ith comfort I know. Tears pric le the irl s e es he eeps her hand there for a lon time until at last she pulls a a huddlin ac into her crouch ith her face turned do n

“Than ou her rother hispers thers cluster ehind affaele atchin in a e “It s the first time she s spo en

since e left sten ia“ affaele

ucent s voice cuts throu h the scene affaele turns to see the Wind al er cuttin her a throu h the cro d her lond curls ouncin in the air he loo s ever inch




a t pical eldish irl here in her homeland ith furs thic around her nec and rists and a trail of eads clin in in her hair he pauses in front of him

“I hate to interrupt our dail healin session she sa s noddin at him to follo her “ ut she arrived late last ni ht he s as ed to see us

affaele nods a fare ell to the malfettos in the court ard efore matchin ucent s pace he loo s a itated possi-l at havin to trac him do n and she ru s her arms

incessantl “ enettran summers have turned me soft she complains as the o “This cold is ma in m ones ache When affaele doesn t respond she turns her irritation on him “ o ou reall have so much free time she sa s “ a in sad e es at malfetto refu ees ever da isn t oin to help us stri e ac at the In uisition

affaele doesn t other loo in at her “The ald o is an lite he replies

ucent ma es an incredulous sound in her throat “ e-all

“I noticed it esterda he continues “A ver su tle en-er ut it s there I ll send for him later

ucent lares at him e can see dis elief there then an-no ance that he has surprised her inall she shru s “Ah

ou al a s have a ood reason for our indnesses don t ou she mutters “Well ichel sa s the re out on the

hills er footsteps speed upaffaele doesn t add that his heart is still heav as it al-




a s is after he meets the malfettos. That he ishes he could have sta ed lon er that he could do more to help them There is no point in mentionin it “ our ueen ill for ive me he sa s

ucent huffs at that and crosses her arms ut under-neath her nonchalant sho affaele can feel the threads of her ener t ist painfull a not of passion and lon in that has ti htened and ti htened for ears anxious to e re-united ith the eldish princess o lon has it een since

ucent as first anished from eldain ho lon has she een separated from aeve affaele softens to ard her in

empath e touches her arm once the strin s of ener around her shimmer and he reaches for them pullin on her po ers to soothe her he lances at him ith a raised e e ro

“ ou ill see her affaele sa s “I promise I m sorr I ept ou aitin

ucent s tension relaxes a little at his touch “I noThe reach a hi h stone entrance that opens out into the

vast rasslands ehind the castle A smatterin of soldiers are trainin out in the ard and ucent has to lead them in a

ide arc around the duelin pairs until the leave the castle ehind and enter the tall rass The crest a small hill affa-

ele shivers in the ind lin in throu h the sno flurries and pulls his cloa ti hter around his shoulders

The other t o a ers finall come into vie as the reach the top of the hill ichel the Architect has traded




in his enettran attire for thic eldish furs that hide his nec from vie e tal s in a lo voice to the irl eside him emma the tar Thief still dressed stu ornl in her favorite enettran dress ven she has a eldish cloa draped over herself thou h and trem les in the cold The

oth loo up from their conversation to nod at ucent and affaele

affaele returns the esture then shifts his attention to the others in the clearin Inside a circle of soldiers linin the clearin s ed es are a handful of no lemen princes ud -in from their dar lue sleeves and an enormous hite ti er ith stripes of old Its tail s ishes la il throu h the

rass and its e es are narro ed into sleep slits ver one s attention is fixed on t o duelin opponents in the center of the clearin ne is a prince ith li ht lond hair earin a fro n e sta s for ard ith his s ord

is opponent is a oun oman a irl even ith furs linin her cloa A fierce line of old decorates one of her chee s and her hair half lac and half old is tied into an ela orate series of raids that resem le the hac les run-nin do n an an r olf s ac he easil dod es the sta flashes a rin at the prince and s in s her o n s ord to clash ith his The lade lints in the li ht

ichel steps closer to affaele “ he is ueen no he murmurs “ er mother died several ee s a o I acciden-tall addressed her as er o al i hness don t do the same




XT

SH

OR

T

affaele nods “Than ou for the reminder Queen Maeve of Beldain. e fro ns as she duels There is an en-er around her the unusual threads that must elon to an lite o one had ever mentioned the eldish princess havin an po ers ut the si ns are all there litterin in a sheet of movin strin s around her Does she even know? Wh ould she eep such a thin secret

affaele s attention then shifts to one of the princes atchin The oun est one is fro n deepens There is

an ener a out this one too ut it is not li e an lite s en-er threads of vi or of the orld that is alive. e lin s confused When he reaches out to touch this stran e ener his o n stren th immediatel recoils as if urned some-thin cold as ice

The clash of s ords rin s him ac to atchin the duel aeve s in s a ain and a ain at her older rother

he pushes him to the ed e of their circle here the soldiers stand uard and then all of a sudden her rother starts stri in ac viciousl forcin her into the center a ain

affaele atches them closel ven thou h the prince is taller than aeve a ood foot she doesn t seem intim-idated Instead she calls out a taunt as she pushes a ainst his lade lau hs a ain and spins he tries to catch her

rother off uard ut he sees her move first e suddenl crouches do n aimin for her le s he catches her mista e too late and falls




TEX

T S

HO

RT

The prince stands over her his s ord pointin at her chest e sha es his head “ etter he sa s “ ut ou still stri e too ea erl efore ou can tell exactl here m at-tac ill o e estures to his arm then ma es a slo s in in motion “ ee this This is hat ou didn t catch

oo for the an le efore ou choose to stri e“ he cau ht it Au ustine one of the other princes chimes

in e in s at aeve “ he ust didn t react fast enou h“I ould ve reacted fast enou h to dod e your attac s

aeve calls ac ard pointin her s ord at her second rother everal of the other princes chuc le at her ans er

“And ou d e limpin home ni htfall he sheathes her s ord al s over to ru the ti er ehind his ears and nods at Au ustine “I ll do etter I promise et s practice a ain in the afternoon

affaele loo s on as the prince ives his little sister a smile and a o “As ou ish he replies

Then at her rothers esturin she turns her attention to the a ers ichel and emma neel immediatel er e es fall first on ucent a flash of reco nition darts across her face and her li hthearted mood instantl transforms into somethin serious he sa s nothin Instead she aits

hile ucent falls into a neel and o s her head her curls tum lin for ard aeve stares at her for a moment lon er Then her piercin stare darts to affaele and he lo ers his lashes e follo s ucent s lead




“ our a est he sa she leans one hand on her s ord s hilt er chee s are

still flushed ith excitement “ oo at me she commands “Are ou affaele aurent essette The essen er

“I am our a estaeve re ards him for a moment he seems to stud

the summer reen of his left e e then the hone old of his ri ht he smiles “ ou re as eautiful as the sa A lovel name for a lovel face

affaele lets himself lush tiltin his head in the famil-iar su tle a he al a s did ith his clients “ ou honor me our a est I m flattered that m reputation has trav-eled as far as eldain

aeve atches him thou htfull “ ou ere Prince n-o s most trusted adviser e spo e ver fondl of ou

And no I see ou have ta en his place as the leader of the a ers on ratulations

affaele s expression turns rave as he tries to i nore the familiar pan that n o s name rin s is heart eat uic -ens “It is not somethin I cele rate he replies

aeve s e es soften for a moment perhaps in remem-rance of her o n mother s death There seems to e some-

thin else a out n o s death that intri ues her a fleetin emotion that affaele senses in her heart ut she decides a ainst mentionin it leavin him to onder “ f course not she sa s in the end

Au ustine hispers somethin in her ear The oun




ueen leans to ard him and althou h she focuses her at-tention on affaele he can tell the shift of her ener that she reall wants to pa attention to ucent “Prince n o s death is not in m favor as I d hoped he ould open trade

et een enettra and eldain or is it in our favor es-sen er ecause he has left ou leaderless ut the in too has died iulietta rules in his place no ou sa and ne malfetto refu ees arrive in m countr ever da

“ ou are ind for ta in us in our a est“ onsense aeve aves a hand impatientl estur-

in for all of them to rise When the do she histles for her horses er hite ti er rises from his restin spot and saunters over to her side “The ods created the lood fever

affaele she sa s as the all pull themselves into saddles “and so the also created the mar ed and the lite It is las-phem to ill the children of the ods he taps her horse s hind uarters ith her heels then starts leadin them up a hi her hill “I didn t ta e ou in out of indness thou h

our a ers are ea ened no our leader is dead and I hear rumors that one of our o n turned her ac on ou that she as or in ith the In uisition our patrons have either iven up and fled or have een captured and

illed“ xcept ou affaele sa s “ our a est“ xcept me she a rees “And I am still interested in

enettraaffaele rides in silence as the oun ueen uides them




XT

SH

OR

T

up alon the side of a sharp cliff aves crashin a ainst the roc s far elo “What have ou sent us here for he as s

“ et me sho ou somethin aeve leads them alon the side of the cliff for a hile until the reach an area

here the land curves in on itself formin a shelter from the ild inds ere the ride up so close to the ed e that

affaele can see the entire ais e es iden ehind him ucent aspsundreds thousands of eldish arships dot the

eaches elo ailors ustle up and do n an plan s to the dec s loadin crates on oard The ships stretch far do n the a and out alon here the cliffs trail off into the distance

affaele turns to aeve “ ou re plannin to invade en-ettra

“If I can t have our malfetto cro n prince sittin on the throne then I ill do it m self aeve pauses stud in

affaele s face for his reaction “ ut I d li e our helpaffaele ro s uiet The last time eldain ent to ar

ith enettra as over a hundred ears a o If n o could see all this hat ould he thin of it andin over his cro n to a forei n ueen It doesn’t matter, he reminds him-self harshl Because Enzo is dead.

“What help do ou need affaele as s“I hear that aster Teren antoro as ehind the in s

death aeve replies “Is this true




TEX

T S

HO

RT

“ es“Wh did he ant the in dead“ ecause he is in love ith ueen iulietta he ept

Teren at her side precisel for his help amon other rea-sons

“Ah A lover aeve sa s At that ucent loo s rief-l to the ueen then a a a ain “ he s oun ne and vulnera le I need the In uisition and her arm ea ened What can ou do to help me in this

affaele furro s his ro s “ iulietta is po erful ith Teren at her side he sa s e exchan es loo s ith each of his a ers as he continues “ ut Teren ans ers to some-thin even more po erful than his ueen his elief that he has een ordained the ods to destro malfettos If e can

rea their trust and separate them then this invasion ill have a etter chance at success And in order to rea their trust e ll have to ma e Teren diso e his ueen

“ e ll never do such a thin ucent chimes in “ ave ou seen Teren around iulietta ave ou heard him tal

a out herichel nods his a reement “Teren o e s the ueen li e

a do e d sooner die than insult herven emma ho has een uiet until no spea s up

“If ou ant to turn them a ainst each other e ll have to et into the cit she sa s “ i ht no it s nearl impossi-le to enter sten ia All malfettos have een forced outside




XT

SH

OR

T

the cit alls The In uisition uards ever street We can t et over the alls or throu h the ates even ith ucent s

po ers There are too man soldiersaeve s furs rush a ainst her chee s “ enettra has a

ne ruler she sa s “Accordin to tradition I must sail for sten ia and see her in person offer her ifts and a el-

come A promise of ood ill At that she raises an e e-ro and smiles ehind her Au ustine lau hs a little er

e es turn ac to affaele “I ill et ou into the cit m essen er if ou can place a ed e et een the ueen and

her In uisitor“I am a consort affaele replies “I ll find a a

aeve nods her approval he stares in silence for a mo-ment at her preparin fleet “There is somethin else she sa s ithout loo in at him

“ es our a est“Tell me affaele she oes on turnin her head sli ht-

l in his direction “that ou can sense m po er he sa s it loudl enou h for the other a ers to hear ichel the closest stiffens at her ords emma inhales sharpl ut

affaele notices ucent s reaction the most the sudden sic l paleness of her face the surprise in her e es he

lances at affaele“ er po er she as s for ettin for the first time to re-

fer to aeve her titleaffaele hesitates then o s his head to the oun




TEX

T S

HO

RT

ueen “I do he replies “I d thou ht it rude to as until ou decided to share it

aeve smiles “Then it ill e no surprise hen I tell ou that I too am an lite he doesn t seem to react to ucent s shoc althou h she does riefl lance at her

affaele sha es his head “ ot a surprise to me ou ma have had a different effect on m a ers thou h

“And can ou uess hat m po er isaffaele reaches out once a ain to stud the ener that

surrounds her It is a familiar feelin one that leaves him ith a chill omethin a out her ali ns ith dar ness ith the an els of ear and ur the oddess of eath The

same ali nments he felt in Adelina The mere memor of her ma es affaele s hands clench ti htl around his horse s reins “I cannot uess our a est he replies

aeve loo s over her shoulder at the oun est prince ith his duelin mas still on and nods “Tristan she

sa s “ et us see our faceer other rothers ro uiet at her command affa-

ele senses ucent s heart eat faster and hen he lances at her he notices her e es have ro n ide The oun est prince nods reaches up and pulls the mas off his face

e resem les aeve as ell as his rothers ut hile the others seem natural and hole this prince is notand a ain the eerie ener a out him returns hauntin

affaele




“ oun est rother Prince Tristan aeve sa sIt is ucent ho finall rea s the silence “ ou told me

in our letters that he mana ed to pull throu h she cho es out “ ou told me he never died

“ e did aeve s expression hardens “And I rou ht him ac

ucent oes pale “That s impossi le ou said he al-most dro ned and our mother the ueen other

anished me for the near death of her son This is impossi-ble. ou he turns to aeve “ ou never told me I read nothin a out this in our letters

“I couldn t tell ou aeve ans ers sharpl Then she continues in a uieter voice “ mother screened ever letter that left the palace particularl those I meant for

ou I could not ris her findin out a out m po er he li e ou li e everyone assumed that Tristan never died e-cause I rou ht him ac on the same ni ht she anished

ouaffaele onl stares hardl a le to elieve hat he is it-

nessin Threads of ener that do not elon in the land of the livin e understands it no the unsettlin unnatural

ond e also understands immediatel h aeve is tell-in them this

“ n o he hispers “ ou ant“I ant to rin ac our prince aeve finishes for

him “Tristan as ou can see is a le to en o life a ain ven more than that thou h he has rou ht some part of




the nder orld ith him e has ained the stren th of a do en men

The thou ht of n o alive a ain leaves affaele short of reath The orld spins for a moment No. Wait. There is

somethin else a out Prince Tristan that the ueen isn t tell-in him “And hat of lites ho are rou ht ac he as s

aeve smiles a ain “It must amplif his po ers too And someone as po erful as n o as ma prove nearl invinci le once revived I ant his po er at our side hen

e attac enettra It ill e a test m creation of an Elite amon Elites. he leans to ard affaele “Thin of the possi ilities of the other deceased lites I could revive of the un ridled po er on our side

affaele sha es his head e should e over o ed at the thou ht of seein the prince a ain Why am I not? Why does this terrify me? The stain of the nder orld hovers over Tristan s ener

“ ou dou t that it or s aeve sa s after a moment “Those I rin ac must al a s e tied to someone from the livin orld The need livin threads to hold them a a from the nder orld s constant pull Tristan is tied to me ivin me a certain level of control protection over him n o ill need to e tethered to someone too

Tethered to me. affaele s e es narro as he loo s at her That is what she means to do. “I cannot e a part of this he finall sa s is voice is sharp even in its hoarseness “This violates the order of the ods




aeve s voice hardens no “I am a child of the ods she snaps “I as ifted ith this po er The ods less itit violates no order

affaele o s his head is hands are sha in “I can-not a ree to this our a est he sa s a ain “ n o s soul has one to rest in the nder orld Pullin him ac a a from the side of ol oritas and into the real orld a ain he does not elon here an more et him rest

“I am not as in our permission consort aeve re-plies firml When affaele loo s up at her a ain she lifts her chin “ emem er affaele that n o as the ro n Prince of enettra A malfetto, an lite our former leader

e did not deserve to die e deserves to return, to see his countr s malfettos safe I ill rule enettra ut I ill rein-state him in m a sence er e es are hard as stone “Is this not hat ou and our a ers have lon fou ht for

affaele is silent e is seventeen a ain standin efore a sea of no ilit at the ortunata ourt sensin n o s ener-

in the cro d for the first time e is in the under round trainin cavern of the a ers former home atchin the prince duel ith others affaele loo s at ichel then

emma then ucent The loo ac rave and silent This should e hat the all ant

ut n o died The rieved and made their peace ith it And no

“I will rin him ac and I will tether him to an one I please Then aeve s voice turns entler “ ut I d rather




tie him to those ho care the most for him The ond ith the livin is stron est that a

till affaele doesn t repl e closes his e es illin himself to silence his mind To force a a the churnin sen-sation that he no s this idea is ron inall he opens his e es and meets the ueen s a e “Will he e the same

“We on t no aeve sa s slo l “until I tr



the rose society excerpt

Documents