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Authors: Marie Rutkoski
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the
dress’s bodice.
“It’s beautiful,” Kestrel said.
Jess adjusted the necklace. “I understand why you’re
ner vous.”
The crackle of fl owers went silent. Kestrel became
—-1
aware that she was holding her breath.
65
—0
—+1
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9/25/14 2:52 PM
“I shouldn’t say this.” Jess’s eyes met Kestrel’s. They
SKI
O
were hard, unblinking. “I hate that you’re marrying into
the emperor’s family. I hate that you’re going to walk
straight from this room to your engagement ball. With the
prince . You should be my sister. You should be Ronan’s
MARIE RUTK
wife.”
Kestrel hadn’t seen Ronan since the night of the First-
winter Rebellion. She’d written letters, then burned them.
She’d sent an invitation to the court. It was ignored. He
was in the city now, Jess had said. He’d fallen in with a
wild crowd. Then Jess had gone tight- lipped and wouldn’t
say any more— and Kestrel, who had loved Ronan as much
as she could, and missed him, didn’t dare ask.
Slowly, Kestrel said to Jess, “I’ve told you before. The
emperor made the off er of marriage to his son. I couldn’t
refuse.”
“Could you not? Everyone knows the story of how you
brought the wrath of the imperial army to Herran. You
could have asked the emperor for anything.”
Kestrel was silent.
“It’s because you do not want to refuse,” Jess said. “You
never do anything you don’t want to do.”
“It’s a po liti cal marriage. For the good of the empire.”
“What makes you think that you are the best thing
for it?”
Kestrel had never seen such resentment in Jess’s eyes.
Quietly, Kestrel said, “Ronan wants nothing to do with me
now anyway.”
-1—
“True.” Jess seemed to regret her hard words, then to
0—
66
regret her regret. Her voice stayed stony. “I am glad that he
+1—
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 66
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9/25/14 2:52 PM
9/25/14 2:52 PM
won’t be here to night. How could the emperor invite Her-
rani to the ball?”
CRIME
“Just one. One Herrani.”
’S
“It’s disgusting.”
“They’re not slaves anymore, Jess. They’re in de pen dent
members of the empire.”
THE WINNER
“So we reward murder with freedom? Those rebels
killed Valorians. They killed our friends . I hate the em-
peror for his edict.”
Dangerous words. “Jess—”
“He doesn’t know. He didn’t see the slaves’ savagery.
I did. You did. That so- called governor kept you as some
kind of toy—”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
Jess scowled at the fl oor. Her voice came low: “You
never do.”
Kestrel stood next to Verex outside the closed ballroom
doors, listening to the swell of the emperor’s voice. Kestrel
couldn’t distinguish the words, but heard the sure rhythm.
The emperor was a skilled public speaker.
Verex’s head was lowered, hands stuff ed in his pockets.
He was dressed in formal military style: all black, with
gold piping that echoed the glittering horizontal line drawn
above Kestrel’s brows. His belted, jeweled dagger matched
hers. The emperor had fi nally given Kestrel the dagger he’d
promised, and it was indeed fi ne— set with diamonds and
exquisitely sharp. It was too heavy. It dragged at her hip.
—-1
She wished the emperor would stop talking. Her
67
—0
—+1
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 67
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 67
9/25/14 2:52 PM
9/25/14 2:52 PM
stomach dipped and rose with the sound of his voice. Her
SKI
O
nails curled into her palms.
Verex scuff ed his boot.
She ignored him. She touched a glass petal on her neck-
lace. It felt frail.
MARIE RUTK
The emperor’s voice stopped. The doors fl ung open.
It was like a hallucination: the crowd in a splash of col-
ors, the heat, the applause, the fanfare.
Then the crash of sound faded, because the emperor
was speaking again, and then he must have stopped speak-
ing,
dress’s bodice.
“It’s beautiful,” Kestrel said.
Jess adjusted the necklace. “I understand why you’re
ner vous.”
The crackle of fl owers went silent. Kestrel became
—-1
aware that she was holding her breath.
65
—0
—+1
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 65
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 65
9/25/14 2:52 PM
9/25/14 2:52 PM
“I shouldn’t say this.” Jess’s eyes met Kestrel’s. They
SKI
O
were hard, unblinking. “I hate that you’re marrying into
the emperor’s family. I hate that you’re going to walk
straight from this room to your engagement ball. With the
prince . You should be my sister. You should be Ronan’s
MARIE RUTK
wife.”
Kestrel hadn’t seen Ronan since the night of the First-
winter Rebellion. She’d written letters, then burned them.
She’d sent an invitation to the court. It was ignored. He
was in the city now, Jess had said. He’d fallen in with a
wild crowd. Then Jess had gone tight- lipped and wouldn’t
say any more— and Kestrel, who had loved Ronan as much
as she could, and missed him, didn’t dare ask.
Slowly, Kestrel said to Jess, “I’ve told you before. The
emperor made the off er of marriage to his son. I couldn’t
refuse.”
“Could you not? Everyone knows the story of how you
brought the wrath of the imperial army to Herran. You
could have asked the emperor for anything.”
Kestrel was silent.
“It’s because you do not want to refuse,” Jess said. “You
never do anything you don’t want to do.”
“It’s a po liti cal marriage. For the good of the empire.”
“What makes you think that you are the best thing
for it?”
Kestrel had never seen such resentment in Jess’s eyes.
Quietly, Kestrel said, “Ronan wants nothing to do with me
now anyway.”
-1—
“True.” Jess seemed to regret her hard words, then to
0—
66
regret her regret. Her voice stayed stony. “I am glad that he
+1—
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 66
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 66
9/25/14 2:52 PM
9/25/14 2:52 PM
won’t be here to night. How could the emperor invite Her-
rani to the ball?”
CRIME
“Just one. One Herrani.”
’S
“It’s disgusting.”
“They’re not slaves anymore, Jess. They’re in de pen dent
members of the empire.”
THE WINNER
“So we reward murder with freedom? Those rebels
killed Valorians. They killed our friends . I hate the em-
peror for his edict.”
Dangerous words. “Jess—”
“He doesn’t know. He didn’t see the slaves’ savagery.
I did. You did. That so- called governor kept you as some
kind of toy—”
“I don’t want to talk about that.”
Jess scowled at the fl oor. Her voice came low: “You
never do.”
Kestrel stood next to Verex outside the closed ballroom
doors, listening to the swell of the emperor’s voice. Kestrel
couldn’t distinguish the words, but heard the sure rhythm.
The emperor was a skilled public speaker.
Verex’s head was lowered, hands stuff ed in his pockets.
He was dressed in formal military style: all black, with
gold piping that echoed the glittering horizontal line drawn
above Kestrel’s brows. His belted, jeweled dagger matched
hers. The emperor had fi nally given Kestrel the dagger he’d
promised, and it was indeed fi ne— set with diamonds and
exquisitely sharp. It was too heavy. It dragged at her hip.
—-1
She wished the emperor would stop talking. Her
67
—0
—+1
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 67
135-58876_ch01_2P.indd 67
9/25/14 2:52 PM
9/25/14 2:52 PM
stomach dipped and rose with the sound of his voice. Her
SKI
O
nails curled into her palms.
Verex scuff ed his boot.
She ignored him. She touched a glass petal on her neck-
lace. It felt frail.
MARIE RUTK
The emperor’s voice stopped. The doors fl ung open.
It was like a hallucination: the crowd in a splash of col-
ors, the heat, the applause, the fanfare.
Then the crash of sound faded, because the emperor
was speaking again, and then he must have stopped speak-
ing,
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