Tobble and I looked at each other, smiles overtaking our faces. He gestured toward the tent.
“After you,” he whispered, but before I could move, the tent flap opened.
Khara and Gambler appeared before us.
They looked weary, but otherwise unchanged. Their eyes glistened in the creamy light.
I took a shaky breath. “Byx of Nedarra, reporting for duty.”
Tobble gave a little bow. “Tobble of Nedarra, reporting as well.”
Khara’s lower lip trembled. “Well met, dear friends. You have arrived just in time.”
“In time?” I asked.
Khara held out her palm, revealing the stone I’d given her before we’d separated.
She passed it to me, clasping my hand tightly in both of hers.
“Time, my fellow pathfinder,” she said, “to stop a war and save the world.”
From behind us came the sound of someone approaching. We turned to see Renzo, shaking his head. He had an anteleer drumstick in one hand and a silver mug in the other. Dog was trotting beside him.
Renzo sent Khara a knowing smile, then turned his gaze to us.
“Well, it’s about time,” he said. “What took you so long?”
Acknowledgments
Endless thanks to my amazing editors, Tara Weikum and Chris Hernandez, as well as Ann Dye, Renée Cafiero, Sarah Homer, Barb Fitzsimmons, Alison Donalty, Jenna Stempel-Lobell, Patty Rosati, Andrea Pappenheimer, Suzanne Murphy, and all the other folks at HarperCollins who’ve helped bring Endling to life; and to my wonderful agent, Elena Giovanazzo, at Pippin Properties, Inc.
About the Author
Photo by Chris Urie
KATHERINE APPLEGATE is the author of The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her other books include the acclaimed Wishtree, Crenshaw, Home of the Brave, and the Roscoe Riley Rules series. She lives in California with her family. You can visit her at www.katherineapplegate.com.
www.endlingbooks.com
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Endling #1: The Last
The One and Only Ivan
Wishtree
Crenshaw
Home of the Brave
The Roscoe Riley Rules series
#1: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs
#2: Never Swipe a Bully’s Bear
#3: Don’t Swap Your Sweater for a Dog
#4: Never Swim in Applesauce
#5: Don’t Tap-Dance on Your Teacher
#6: Never Walk in Shoes that Talk
#7: Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin
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Copyright
ENDLING #2: THE FIRST. Text copyright © 2019 by Katherine Applegate. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Max Kostenko. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
Cover art © 2019 by Max Kostenko
Cover design by Jenna Stempel-Lobell
Digital Edition MAY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-233558-6
1920212223PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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