by Ally Condie
At their feet, the black well churned. Slowly. Implacably. Opal thought back to the beginning, when Nico’s worst fear had appeared from the Darkdeep. A version of his father who didn’t care about him at all.
“Remember your scariest figment?” Opal asked.
“Yeah.”
“And now your dad is taking a new job for you.”
“Well, don’t forget the owls. He really loves owls.”
“Right,” Opal giggled. “But, I mean …”
“I know.” Nico sucked in a deep breath. “He wouldn’t have accepted the offer if it didn’t interest him, but he still did it for me. For our family. For now,” he couldn’t help adding.
Opal wanted to hug him. Instead, she asked something else.
“I’ve been wondering. Those gray creatures—the howlers. What were they, really?”
Nico stiffened. Hesitating, he shuffled his feet awkwardly, wiping at his brow.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Opal said in a rush. “Not if you really don’t want to.”
Somehow, her hand found his. They stood there, fingers entwined. The way they’d held on to each other during their first battle inside the Darkdeep.
“Loneliness,” Nico said finally. “Those creatures were loneliness in physical form. My new worst fear. Or maybe one I’ve had all along.”
Opal exhaled in surprise. “And you summoned it voluntarily. To help us on Thing’s world.”
Nico nodded. “Because I know now that everything will be okay. Even if I have to move one day after all. As long as you guys are my friends, wherever I might be, I won’t be alone.” He cleared his throat.
“You’re right.”
Opal squeezed his hand. Nico squeezed back.
They stood together, watching the Darkdeep spin in quiet circles.
In her mind, Opal wished Aster and Thing safe journeys. Whole new lives were waiting for them.
“Go and see,” Opal whispered. “Go and see what the world has for you.”
BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN’S BOOKS
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First published in the United States of America in September 2020 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Text copyright © 2020 by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and Brendan C. Reichs
Illustrations copyright © 2020 by Antonio Javier Caparo
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Condie, Allyson Braithwaite, author. | Reichs, Brendan, author.
Title: The Torchbearers / by Ally Condie and Brendan Reichs.
Description: New York : Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2020. | Series: [Darkdeep; 3]
Summary: Middle-schoolers Opal, Nico, Tyler, Emma, and Logan find their friendships tested as never before when the townspeople panic, something cryptic surfaces from within the Darkdeep, and a newcomer arrives with an agenda.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020015776 (print) | LCCN 2020015777 (e-book)
ISBN 978-1-5476-0255-1 (hardcover) • ISBN 978-1-5476-0256-8 (e-pub)
Subjects: CYAC: Supernatural—Fiction. | Monsters—Fiction. | Houseboats—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Northwest, Pacific—Fiction. | Horror stories.
Classification: LCC PZ7.C7586 Tor 2020 (print) | LCC PZ7.C7586 (e-book) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015776
LC e-book record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015777
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