A reaper at the gates, p.1

A Reaper at the Gates, page 1

 

A Reaper at the Gates
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A Reaper at the Gates


  PRAISE FOR

  An Ember in the Ashes

  “[An Ember in the Ashes] thrusts its readers into a world marred by violence and oppression, yet does so with simple prose that can offer moments of loveliness in its clarity. This complexity makes Ember a worthy novel—and one as brave as its characters.”

  —THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

  “An Ember in the Ashes could launch Sabaa Tahir into J.K. Rowling territory . . . It has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones.”

  —PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL

  “There comes a moment when it’s impossible to put it down. Sabaa Tahir is a strong writer, but most of all, she’s a great storyteller.”

  —THE HUFFINGTON POST

  “A setting inspired by ancient Rome; a fierce battle for freedom in the face of tyranny; and a villain who makes Cersei Lannister and Dolores Umbridge look like a pair of pathetic amateurs . . . An Ember in the Ashes is at the top of our must-read list for 2015.”

  —MTV.COM

  “Once you get caught up in the story, it’s addictive, and there’s no way you can put it down before you figure out what happens to the characters you have fallen for over the course of the 400 some-odd pages. So I didn’t.”

  —BUSTLE

  “An Ember in the Ashes mixes The Hunger Games with Game of Thrones . . . and adds a dash of Romeo and Juliet.”

  —THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

  “Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races or Sarah Maas’s Throne of Glass series . . . The book is already set to be a film, which will be EPIC!”

  —TEENVOGUE.COM

  “This epic fantasy set in the Martial Empire has it all: danger and violence, secrets and lies, strong characters and forbidden romance and a touch of the supernatural.”

  —THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

  “Here’s one of the year’s most anticipated young-adult debuts.”

  —IO9.COM

  “Fast-paced, well-structured and full of twists and turns, An Ember in the Ashes is an evocative debut that has left me invested in knowing what happens next.”

  —NPR

  “An epic fantasy debut about an orphan fighting for her family and a soldier fighting for his freedom. It’s a story that’s literally burning to be told.”

  —HYPABLE.COM

  “Tahir’s deft, polished debut alternates between two very different perspectives on the same brutal world, deepening both in the contrast. In a tale brimming with political intrigue and haunted by supernatural forces, the true tension comes from watching Elias and Laia struggle to decide where their loyalties lie.”

  —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW

  “Tahir’s world-building is wonderfully detailed and the setting is an unusual one for fantasy novels. All of her characters, even minor ones, are fully realized . . . For fans of Game of Thrones and of Melina Marchetta’s Finnikin of the Rock.”

  —SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

  “An original, well-constructed fantasy world . . . truly engaging.”

  —KIRKUS REVIEWS

  NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY:

  AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, BUSTLE, BUZZFEED, HYPABLE, LA WEEKLY, THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, PASTE, POPSUGAR, INDIGO, SUSPENSE MAGAZINE, and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

  PRAISE FOR

  A Torch Against the Night

  “Spectacular.”

  —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

  “Fresh and exciting. . . Tahir has shown a remarkable talent for penning complex villains.”

  —A.V. CLUB

  “This sequel has a darker tone and even higher stakes than its predecessor, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion.”

  —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW

  “Tahir proves to be a master of suspense and a canny practitioner of the cliffhanger, riveting readers’ attention throughout . . . [An] action-packed, breathlessly paced story.”

  —BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW

  “An adrenaline rush till the very last page.”

  —BUZZFEED

  “A Torch Against the Night is an unabashed page-turner that scarcely ever pauses for breath.”

  —THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

  “The rare sequel that improves on the original. . . unputdownable.”

  —COMMON SENSE MEDIA (FIVE STARS)

  “The stakes here are high and the plot runs like a well-oiled machine, ratcheting up the tension with every chapter.”

  —NPR.ORG

  “Delivers in every way . . . The stakes have never been higher, and the tension is acutely felt as Elias and Laia run for their lives.”

  —USA TODAY’S HAPPY EVER AFTER BLOG

  “Fast-paced, exciting and full of adrenaline, A Torch Against the Night is everything fans of Tahir’s debut could possibly anticipate in a sequel.”

  —BUCKS COUNTY COURIER TIMES

  “Thrilling . . . Tahir meticulously plots these novels, ramping up the suspense and including plenty of surprises.”

  —THE BUFFALO NEWS

  “Let me tell you, it does not disappoint.”

  —BOOK RIOT

  “At last, it’s here . . . It’s as heartbreaking as it is action-packed, delivering a worthy second installment in Tahir’s bestselling series.”

  —PASTE

  “Excellent.”

  —KIRKUS REVIEWS

  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

  NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY:

  TIME, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, AMAZON, BUZZFEED, BUSTLE, PASTE, POPCRUSH, and POPSUGAR.

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  Penguin.com

  RAZORBILL & colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  First published in the United States of America by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018

  Copyright © 2018 Sabaa Tahir

  Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE

  Ebook ISBN: 9780448494524

  Map by Jonathan Roberts

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  For Renée, who knows my heart.

  For Alexandra, who holds my hopes.

  And for Ben, who shares the dream.

  CONTENTS

  Praise for Sabaa Tahir

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Maps

  PART I: THE KING OF NO NAME I: The Nightbringer

  II: Laia

  III: Elias

  IV: The Blood Shrike

  V: Laia

  VI: Elias

  VII: The Blood Shrike

  VIII: Laia

  IX: Elias

  X: The Blood Shrike

  PART II: INFERNO XI: Laia

  XII: Elias

  XIII: The Blood Shrike

  XIV: Laia

  XV: Elias

  XVI: The Blood Shrike

  XVII: Laia

  XVIII: Elias

  XIX: The Blood Shrike

  XX: Laia

  XXI: Elias

  XXII: The Blood Shrike

  XXIII: Laia

  XXIV: Elias

  XXV: The Blood Shrike

  XXVI: Laia

  XXVII: Elias

  XXVIII: The Blood Shrike

  XXIX: Laia

  XXX: Elias

  PART III: ANTIUM XXXI: The Blood Shrike

  XXXII: Laia

  XXXIII: The Blood Shrike

  XXXIV: Elias

  XXXV: The Blood Shrike

  XXXVI: Laia

  XXXVII: Elias

  XXXVIII: The Blood Shrike

  XXXIX: Laia

  XL: Elias

  XLI: The Blood Shrike

  XLII: Laia

  XLIII: The Blood Shrike

  XLIV: Laia

  XLV: Elias

  PART IV: SIEGE XLVI: The Blood Shrike

  XLVII: Laia

  XLVIII: The Blood Shrike

  XLIX: Laia

  L: Elias

  LI: The Blood Shrike

  LII: Laia

  LIII: Elias

  LIV: Laia

  LV: The Bloo
d Shrike

  LVI: Laia

  PART V: BELOVED LVII: The Blood Shrike

  LVIII: The Soul Catcher

  LIX: The Nightbringer

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  PART I

  THE KING OF NO NAME

  I: The Nightbringer

  You love too much, my king.

  My queen spoke the words often across the centuries we spent together. At first, with a smile. But in later years, with a furrowed brow. Her gaze settled on our children as they tore about the palace, their bodies flickering from flame to flesh, tiny cyclones of impossible beauty.

  “I fear for you, Meherya.” Her voice trembled. “I fear what you will do if harm comes to those whom you love.”

  “No harm shall befall you. I vow it.”

  I spoke with the passion and folly of youth, though I was not, of course, young. Even then. That day, the breezes off the river ruffled her midnight hair and sunlight poured like liquid gold through the sheer curtains of the windows. It lit our children umber as they trailed scorch marks and laughter across the stone floor.

  Her fears held her captive. I reached for her hands. “I would destroy any who dared hurt you,” I said.

  “Meherya, no.” I have wondered in the years since then if she already feared what I would become. “Swear you would never. You are our Meherya. Your heart is made to love. To give. Not to take. That is why you are king of the jinn. Swear it.”

  I swore two vows that day: to protect, always. To love, always.

  Within a year, I had broken both.

  * * *

  The Star hangs from the wall of the cavern far from human eyes. It is a four-pointed diamond, with a narrow gap at its a