Judged

by Liz de Jager

  ‘Well, that’s half the battle won, then,’ I say, feeling myself blushing and then because things feel a bit too intense I hop onto the stairs next to him. ‘Come on, take me to your lair, dragon boy. And I really do hope you’ve enough food to feed everyone because I am starving.’

  ‘The island comes with its own brownie. None of us will starve with her helping out.’

  We jog up the stairs side by side and as we reach the top, we look out over the picturesque bay, where the sailing boat we arrived on bobs. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place more tranquil and soothing.

  I lean against Thorn, tilt my head towards the sun and breathe in the smell of the sea.

  Standing here, like this, nestled against the boy I’ve come to love, everything is just perfect. I don’t know how long it will stay perfect, but I’m prepared to fight to keep it.

  Maybe being a named and claimed Blackhart isn’t so bad after all.

  Praise for The Blackhart Legacy

  ‘De Jager’s fantasy world is enthralling and immersive, many fathoms deep … wonderful’

  M. R. Carey

  ‘One action-packed story! Full of battles, weapons, mythical creatures and, of course, magic – it’s guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish’

  Guardian

  ‘The intriguing plot – set across human and Fae worlds – is interspersed with twists and traitors that you’re not likely to see coming, and will keep you reading’

  SciFiNow

  ‘A juicy mystery, elusive leads, scattered clues and no little excitement as Kit and Dante venture ever nearer to the truth … Liz de Jager is on top form’

  Fantasy-Faction

  ‘Banished is a thoroughly entertaining, well-paced, action-packed read that has a natural conclusion to the story within, but also leaves us with a cliff-hanger that is part of the wider story arc’

  Bookzone

  ‘Hugely entertaining and downright fun … It had me racing through the pages wanting to see what was going to happen next’

  Empire of Books

  ‘A blend of Maggie Stiefvater’s Lament, with the intensity and passion of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, you really need to watch out for this trilogy … There are lots of plot twists and the climax was just amazing … Read it, read it, read it!’

  Queen of Contemporary

  ‘I really, really loved this book. I can hold my hand up and say that I loved it more than Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones, which is something I never ever thought I would say’

  Serendipity Reviews

  ‘The writing is whip-crack smart and the story rattles along; believe me, you will be hurtling through the chapters desperate to know what happens next … Vowed is perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Cassandra Clare and Patricia Briggs’

  We Love This Book

  ‘Vowed doesn’t miss a beat … Liz de Jager has some serious skills and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Bring on the next book’

  The Eloquent Page

  ‘I can’t wait to see where de Jager will take Kit and company after the explosive ending of Vowed, but I know I will be there for the ride … A high-octane, massively entertaining read, which had me laughing out loud more than once’

  A Fantastical Librarian

  Judged

  While writing her debut novel, Banished, Liz de Jager fostered her love of YA and genre fiction by developing the popular My Favourite Books review blog. This ran for seven years and enabled her to gain a unique insight into the publishing industry. She grew up in South Africa and now lives and works in the UK with her husband, Mark. Judged is her third novel.

  You can find out more about Liz here:

  www.lizdejager.co.uk

  Or follow her on Twitter:

  @LizUK

  By Liz de Jager

  Banished

  Vowed

  Judged

  Acknowledgements

  A book is written by one person, the writer. But it’s the invisible people in the background who make it all happen so that the writer can hold that finished product of their hard work in their grubby paws and say: ‘I wrote this.’

  A debt I don’t think I can ever repay goes to my agent, Juliet Mushens, who kicks my butt, has my back, and can talk kissing, fights, the effects of magic on technology and how impossible it is to run in high heels on wet grass when running away from ogres … she’s pretty damn special. Juliet believed in me and in Kit and these books when I had no idea what I was doing. She’s been my champion from the beginning, and I would not be here today if it wasn’t for her.

  Huge thanks to my editor Bella Pagan at Pan Macmillan, who, when we first met to talk about the book, leaned closer to me and told me how much she loved the world and wanted to know everything about it. I think I fell in love with her a little that day. Bella handled me well, she taught me what was expected of me and she had so much patience for a noob. I appreciate it all and I hope I’ve made her proud. By Bella’s side was her assistant, Louise Buckley, who has never failed to be warm, encouraging and genuinely lovely to me whenever we meet up. Thank you for the tweets and emails of encouragement! Naturally, epic hugs of thanks have to go to the Pan Mac art department. I mean, look at my stunning covers! They’re so recognizable and gorgeous. I still can’t believe my words are contained between these covers.

  Over at Pan Mac South Africa I have to send all the hugs to my publicist there, Tarryn Talbot-Da Costa, who, even though she was thousands of miles away, sent me emails and encouraged me to stay in touch. I can’t thank you enough for looking after both me and Mark when we visited in May 2015, Tarryn; your hard work is much appreciated. And to all the press, authors and bloggers I met at events whilst in South Africa: I can’t begin to express how pleased I was to meet you all. You are my people – thank you for your support!

  My experience at Pan Macmillan as one of their authors has been great. The editorial department and my copy-editors and proofreaders were all genuinely amazing and helped me work hard on the trilogy. I appreciate every single one of you. I grumbled, I moaned, but I know you guys did your best and that made me want to do my best, so thank you for all your hard work.

  Now onto everyone else. My friends Sarah Bryars, Sharon Jones, Zoe Marriott, Tanya Byrne, Karen Mahoney, Tiffany Trent, Nazia Khatun, Nick Coveney, Edward Partidge, Jenni Nock (from the top of my head, there are so very many more) and all of Team Mushens, the UK YA community (writers, readers, bloggers): you guys are incredible. Your support has meant the world to me. You cheered me on, you kept me on track, you listened and you gave advice and it kept me going.

  Of course I have to thank my crazy massive extended family in South Africa too, but especially my oldest sister, Elize, and her husband, Shayne: I love you guys so much. Your support over the years has been amazing because you never stopped believing in me. A girl couldn’t ask for anything more from her siblings. Huge hugs have to go to Michelle Kirshenbaum (Penguin Girl), who introduced me to my first ever Cornelia Funke book all those many years ago and is sort of to blame for me wanting to write even more than I did before. I love you so much, my friend. Thank you for believing in me and for all your unfailing support.

  I could go on and on much like a dreaded Oscar speech here; but I won’t, because you’d prefer to read the final instalment of the trilogy, I’m sure. But there is one more thank-you I need to write down, because I don’t think he realizes how much he means to me.

  The final thanks go to my husband, Mark. An amazing writer in his own right, he has had infinite patience with me as I wrote the trilogy; as I stressed, had sleepless nights and cried about plots not making sense and characters misbehaving. He sat with me, brainstormed with me and helped me choreograph fight sequences so that they read ‘true’. He stopped the house from exploding around us both as I filled it with more books and paper and research, and through all this he kept me sane. Sweetpea, you are my touchstone and the one person I know will always be there for me. You
are my man, my Jacopo. I hope I can do as good a job for you as you did for me when you go through all of this yourself!

  First published 2016 by Tor

  This electronic edition published 2016 by Tor

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-4472-4771-5

  Copyright © Liz de Jager 2016

  Cover Images © Shutterstock

  The right of Liz de Jager to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third party websites referred to in or on this book.

  You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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