The chamber beyond had little in it, but what it did have was luxurious. A four-poster bed draped in velvet. A writing desk stocked with linen paper and the finest pens. And books. So many books, the Librarian would have wept with joy to have seen them.
Though Ace had loved the cathedral, he had always felt happiest when he was down here. It was not so macabre as people liked to believe, he said. He liked the peace of it. The solitude and the quiet. He had told her once, his eyes twinkling, that being here kept him grounded.
And so, it was with some irony that Nova looked into the small chamber and saw Uncle Ace levitating three feet in the air, legs crossed and face serene. He reminded her of a monk in the middle of a meditation, except that his eyes were open, gazing at her with the same softness and warmth that had always served to remind her of her father.
“I knew you would do well,” he said, his lips curling into a smile, “my little nightmare.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WRITING THIS BOOK turned out to be a much more treacherous journey than I expected when I first set out to write about superheroes and supervillains, and I am so grateful to have had the support of so many remarkable people to guide me and cheer me on.
To my agent, Jill Grinberg, who really saved me (and Nova and Adrian!) by shedding light on the heart of their story when I had lost sight of it. And also for all the excellent visualizations. They totally worked! In truth, you don’t know what your steadiness and reassurance has meant to me over the years. And of course to Cheryl, Katelyn, and Denise, for being such incredible rock stars, all day, every day.
To everyone—and I do mean everyone!—at Macmillan Children’s. First and foremost, my outstanding editor, Liz Szabla, for your guidance, serenity, cheerleading (we’ve got this!), and mostly for all the chocolate. Seriously, thank you for all the chocolate. Thank you to Jean Feiwel, who always puts her authors first. To “Clever Master” Mary, along with Jo, Caitlin, and the entire publicity and marketing team, who consistently blow me away with their genius ideas. To Rich, for yet another jaw-dropping cover (I love it so much!). To Mariel, for everything you do, but mostly for my banner. Great skies, that banner! And to Jon, Allison, Angus, and countless, countless others who work so hard to make wonderful, beautiful books and put them into the hands of readers, which might just be the world’s most effective way of fighting against evil.
To my amazing, brilliant, dedicated, and oh-so-patient beta readers, Tamara, Meghan, and Jojo, who had to suffer through an absurdly rough early draft (Tamara actually suffered through two of them … sorry!), yet their support and encouragement never wavered. Thank you for believing in me and always helping me see the story and characters in ways I never would have considered.
To my fellow writers who kept me sane through a number of long café writing dates and writing retreats (we have really got to do more of those): Anna Banks, Kendare Blake, Jennifer Chushcoff, Kimberly Derting, Corry Lee, Lish McBride, Ayesha Patel, Rori Shay, and Breeana Shields. And also to Leilani and Emily, who always seem to have a word of kindness just when I need it most.
To my parents, who always remind me to take a moment for self-care, and to my big brother, Jeff, who introduced me to superheroes via X-Men comics when we were kids, and who was able to describe for me exactly what it’s like to be stabbed through the hand with a semi-blunt object. Who knew that accident would someday have a silver lining? Yay, research!
And in the name of the Moon, I have to thank all the (Sailor) Moonies and the Lunartics! I couldn’t possibly express how much your enthusiasm has meant to me over the years.
Finally, to my own little Renegades, Sloane and Delaney, who have brought more joy into my life than I ever thought possible. And also thanks to Sarah and all the grandparents who were willing to take on last-minute childcare duties as my deadlines crept ever closer.
And—always, always—to my amazing husband, Jesse, who is as gallant as they come. (Truly, if you ever meet him, ask him about the time he chased down that purse snatcher in London. He would love to tell you the story.) Beyond literal heroics, though, he has rescued me countless times in the writing of this book. I can’t even begin to list all the ways I’m grateful for you and everything you do—as a man, a husband, and a father.
Praise for
The Lunar Chronicles
#1 New York Times–Bestselling Series
USA Today Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
“A mash-up of fairy tales and science fiction … a cross between Cinderella, Terminator, and Star Wars.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Prince Charming among the cyborgs.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre.”
—The Seattle Times
“Epic awesome.”
—Bustle
“A binge-reading treat.”
—MTV
“Takes the classic to a whole new level.”
—NPR
“In HEARTLESS, the nonsense that is Wonderland gets a reverential makeover, full of heart and its own idiosyncratic character.”
—GREGORY MAGUIRE, AUTHOR OF Wicked AND After Alice
Praise for
HEARTLESS
#1 New York Times Bestseller
“The Must List,” Entertainment Weekly
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
“What Gregory Maguire did for the Wicked Witch, Meyer does for Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts, tracing her arc from a teen with dreams of owning a bakery into a murderous madwoman.”
— People magazine
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marissa Meyer’s first book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. Marissa lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and their three cats. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Cast of Characters
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
A FEIWEL AND FRIENDS BOOK
An Imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
RENEGADES. Copyright © 2017 by Rampion Books. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017902456
ISBN 978-1-250-04466-2 (hardcover) / ISBN 978-1-250-16407-0 (ebook)
Feiwel and Friends logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
First Edition, 2017
eISBN: 9781250164070
Renegades Page 49