Nomi picked out Renzo in the press of people. He watched her, smiling proudly. Serina stood to the side of the dais and watched everyone else.
“Are you ready?” Malachi pressed her arm gently into his side.
“There are so many ways for this to end badly,” Nomi murmured. She was caught at the surreal point between fantasy and nightmare and for good or ill, the dream was about to begin.
“Have you changed your mind?” he asked.
Nomi steeled herself. “No, I have not.”
Together, they walked into the room.
The musicians played a fanfare. The soldiers saluted, even Dante. His glare twisted Nomi’s heart. How were they to convince the country, when they couldn’t convince Malachi’s closest friend?
It will take time, that’s all.
Nomi raised her chin and glided across the floor. She didn’t lean on Malachi or let herself be caught up in his shadow.
We are equal.
I am not a Grace.
When they reached the dais, Nomi and Malachi turned slowly to face their subjects, the silver beading of her voluminous periwinkle gown glinting in the light. Serina and the other women curtsied deeply. Some of the magistrates bowed. But not all of them.
The musicians finished with a flourish.
Every breath hung on a knife’s edge, each movement careful and contained.
“Good evening. Thank you for being here,” Malachi began. “Tonight we have come together to acknowledge and celebrate a new chapter in Viridia’s history. One that I am honored to be a part of and that gives me great hope. Our country has suffered deeply. My father’s murder and my brother’s ascension caused strife and unease throughout Viridia. But when I speak of suffering, I speak of more than Asa’s brief, brutal reign and my father’s death. Viridia has also suffered for its lies.”
A low murmur broke through the crystal silence of the room.
Nomi continued, her voice steady and clear in contrast to her wild, unsteady heart. “In particular, the women of Viridia have suffered. We have been broken down, stripped of our choices, our agency, our dignity. We have paid a heavy price for fear. Women once ruled this country”—a gasp from the assemblage—“until they were erased. We have hidden our queens and subjugated their descendants. But no longer.”
“As the rightful Heir to Viridia,” Malachi stated, “I will take no Graces. Instead, I choose to align myself with a queen.” He held Nomi’s hand aloft for a moment, though no one cheered. Serina and Anika slipped through the crowd, their movements deceptively casual, as they tracked the magistrates, their aides, even the servants carrying trays of wine. Nomi’s breath hitched, watching them move silently through the room.
Malachi continued. “Queen Tessaro will rule at my side, an equal partner. She will lead our efforts to bring all of Viridia’s lies to light and usher in laws that give the women of this country the rights they’ve been denied these many years.”
“The Superior and I will ensure that the men and women of our nation flourish,” Nomi concluded. “We will make Viridia even stronger and more vibrant than it has ever been.”
Nomi smiled into the faces of men who hated her. The florid courtier with red cheeks near Renzo, the magistrate from Sola, his golden cape jarring against his sallow frown. Dante. Even Signor Pietro, the magistrate from her own province, looked disgusted. She smiled at them all.
Together, hands joined, Nomi and Malachi bowed.
Music spilled into the silence. Serina curtsied before Signor Pietro and spoke a few words. Reluctantly he let her lead him into a dance. The rest of the Queen’s Graces spread through the crowd, offering themselves as dance partners to the angriest of the men in the room.
Nomi and Malachi slid into the center of the dance floor, their heads held high.
“They will hate us,” Malachi said, his mahogany eyes enlivened by the challenge.
“For a while,” Nomi said as she flashed him a sharp, knowing smile. “But this is our history to write. We will do it well.”
They spun until the lights swirled around them and the murderous glares disappeared.
Looking for the latest news on your favorite YA authors?
Want early access to new books and the chance to win advance copies?
Bring the (book) party to your in-box with the NOVL e-newsletter:
theNOVL.com/enewsletter
Join the NOVL community:
theNOVL.com
Twitter.com/TheNovl
Instagram.com/TheNovl
Facebook.com/TheNovl
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
You would not be reading this book today without the insight, support, and enthusiasm of a whole lot of talented, generous people.
Thank you to Pam Gruber, Lanie Davis, Viana Siniscalchi, Polly Lyall-Grant, and all the editors and translators of the foreign editions of this series. To Katharine McAnarney, who has done a fantastic job of getting the word out and sends me the loveliest emails. To the rest of the LBYR and Alloy teams, whose enthusiasm and support for this book (and the series as a whole) continually gives me the warm fuzzies. To my agent, Linda Epstein, who always makes me feel like a star. With all of you on my team, I am one incredibly lucky author.
To the faculty and fellow attendees of the MadCap Writing Cross-Culturally Workshop, thank you for being so welcoming and generous with your perspective, advice, and friendship. Meeting you was life-changing.
Big hugs to my friends and fellow writers who have supported me, encouraged me, and reminded me to trust myself. Who’ve read early drafts, who’ve offered advice, who’ve shown up at events, and who’ve reminded me that my value as a person is not tied to the words I put on the page: Michelle Nebiolo, Dr. Jody Escaravage, Aimee L. Salter, Rachel Hamm, Natasha Fisher, Jax Abbey, Paige Nguyen, J.D. Robinson, Crystal Watanabe, Morgan Michael, April Anft, Kate Elliott, Kyra Whitton, Danielle Boateng, Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, Dhonielle Clayton, and Natalie C. Parker.
Thank you to my family for all the support and enthusiasm, for getting your friends to read Grace and Fury, for driving hours to come to my events, for showing me in all the little and big ways that you’re proud of me. To my son, Oliver, for telling anyone and everyone that his mommy is a “famous book star.” To my husband, Andy, who listens to all my publishing angst and loves me anyway.
Thank you to the folks at Fairyloot, OwlCrate, and Cushy Crate for choosing to include Grace and Fury in their beautiful subscription boxes. And to all their subscribers, thank you for sharing the most gorgeous book photographs I’ve ever seen in my life. Bookstagram has become my happy place.
And finally, to you, the reader, thank you. Thank you for picking up Grace and Fury, for investing in Serina and Nomi enough to come back for more. Thank you for preordering, for purchasing, for borrowing from the library, for subscribing to book boxes, for telling your friends, for sharing on your social media, for reviewing, for reading. You are the one who gives a book life. It’s magic, what you do, and I am so grateful you shared your magic with me.
PRAISE FOR
Grace and Fury
“A fierce story of sisterhood and survival. Absolutely riveting. I couldn’t help but cheer for these ferocious young women.”
—Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, author of The Diminished
“A cathartic, action-packed read about women taking back power.”
—Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga
“Two sisters fight for freedom in a fantasy novel with a blisteringly fast pace and a cathartic ending.”
—Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of the Court of Fives series
“Fiercely feminist and beautifully rebellious. A story of finding sisterhood in the face of oppression that will stay with me forever.”
—Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of The 100 series and Light Years
“Empowering from start to finish and doesn’t flinch in proving that sometimes the life you want isn’t the one you expected—and y
ou won’t know until you fight for it.”
—Sarah Henning, author of Sea Witch
“The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Bachelor, Grace and Fury is fast-paced, feminist, and a perfect summer read.”
—Bustle
“[Banghart] breathes new life into this feminist story of oppression and resistance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The timely YA response to The Handmaid’s Tale.”
—Hypable
Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury) Page 26