Out on the water we in the last two boats wait until the wagon rolls away. Only then does Mother’s boat put in to shore. Inarsis extends a hand to her. As she takes it and alights, the hundred lamps carried by the Efeans sway forward as if offering homage to a queen. Once her feet rest on solid ground Mother looks back to make sure my boat is coming in. The tilt of her head causes the scarf to slip, and she tugs it back up.
That’s when I see, past her, that the last knot of Patron servants has only just begun to walk after the others. That’s when I see that Gargaron evidently decided to hang back despite his sprained ankle, either because he wants to keep an eye on me and Kal or because the disciplined ranks of armed Efeans and the reverence of the lamps have drawn his attention, for he is alert at all times to such details.
That’s when I see he’s seen her.
Recognized her.
He doesn’t move. He doesn’t speak. But his gaze seeks me out where I sit holding the lamp that guides us.
It’s like a spill of cold water drenching me.
“Are we there?” Kal glances over his shoulder from the rowers’ bench, his smile as bright and welcoming as the promise of day.
“Yes,” I reply even as my courage falters and then, in a fury, rages back to full fierce strength.
Stepping off onto the land I meet Gargaron’s furious gaze. I give him a thin smile, making sure he knows that I saved my mother. That I defeated him.
I should stop there. I should.
But I don’t.
I flash him the kiss-off sign, just to rub it in.
He stiffens and turns away.
He’ll wait to make his move to go after her, he’ll devise a cunning scheme, but it will be too late when he does. It’s already too late.
I see what all the Commoners know and the Patrons are blind to because they can perceive only their own image in the mirror of power: The coming battle will undermine Patron rule. And when it does, those who have been trodden low will lift up their faces. Hands that have toiled so long under the lash of harsh masters will reach for weapons of their own making. Those whose hearts have been buried deep will climb the stairs into the light.
Efea will rise.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Huge thanks to the fantastic team at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and to my fabulous editors, Andrea Spooner and Deirdre Jones. Special thanks to Nafiza Azad, Justina Ireland, Dani McKenzie, and Wendy Xu for reading the penultimate draft and making comments. This novel was inspired by athletes and activists, their hard work, their passion, and their vision.
For more information on Poisoned Blade and the Fives or Kate’s other series, or to sign up for her new-release e-mail list, the author invites you to visit her website at KateElliott.com, or you can follow her on Twitter @KateElliottSFF.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Map
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Katrina Elliott
Map illustrations copyright © 2016 by Mike Schley
Cover art by Wes Youssi and Sammy Yuen
Cover design by Wes Youssi/M80 Design
Cover images © NadiiaZ, Ambient Ideas, lukeruk, Olan, pondkungz, Santi0103, Vitaly Korovin, and Luis Molinero/Shutterstock.com
Cover © 2016 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
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The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: August 2016
ISBN 978-0-316-34436-4
E3-20160621-JV-PC