Circle of Ashes (Wish Quartet Book 2)

by Elise Kova

  The group was all there once more, making Jo’s mind whirl with just how much time she’d spent grieving. At first, no one seemed to notice her approach, too consumed by whatever it was they were doing. Which was all well and good, considering Jo had no clue what to do or say to them yet. But the closer she got, the quicker she realized she couldn’t stay silent on the matter.

  “Wait,” Jo spoke up the moment she was within earshot. Eslar had one hand on Nico’s watch, pulling futily, and Wayne was digging the edge of his nickel beneath it and the shelf. “Wait!”

  Everyone turned in her direction, Takako and Samson startling at her sudden presence as Eslar and Wayne backed away from the recreation room shelf on reflex. They couldn’t touch another’s watch; no amount of physical force could remove it from its last spot.

  And maybe no force ever should.

  “Leave it,” Jo said, pushing her way through the group until she could place a hand on Nico’s watch, looking first at the broken clock face and then at each of them in turn. “Just leave it.”

  At first, no one seemed to know how to respond, but eventually, Eslar caved, taking a step towards the shelf. “Jo, we need to—”

  “No!” She shouted, cringing at the sound of her own voice, especially when Eslar recoiled at the unexpected volume. She felt her grip on the stationary timepiece tighten, fresh tears threatening to spill as she closed her eyes. How was it possible she had any tears left to cry? “This. . .” She swallowed, willing herself to straighten before she said anything further. It was important; this was something she needed to do. Not just for Nico, but for all of them.

  “This is all we have left of him,” she eventually found the strength to say. Some part of her was right back in the graveyard in Florence. That courtyard, seemingly forgotten by all but one. Nico had been its lone mourner for years; now, he needed someone to mourn him. “We can’t just erase that too. We can’t. . . We can’t just—”

  Jo choked on the rest of the phrase, trying desperately to swallow the lump in her throat.

  “A memorial.” Takako put into words what she was trying to say, the girl walking up to Jo’s side and placing a hand over hers. When Jo looked over at her, hoping her face showed every ounce of gratitude she felt, Takako didn’t smile. She did, however, give Jo’s hand a squeeze. “He deserves that much.”

  Jo nodded before pulling her hand away from the shelf. As if sensing her unspoken need, Takako let her fingers slip between Jo’s, to hang intertwined at their sides, offering the strength of her presence. Maybe someday, Takako could teach her how to stand so tall.

  Jo clutched at Takako with one hand and the edge of her own hoodie with the other. “If we don’t do our best to remember Nico, then who will?”

  Wayne was the first to respond. Not with words but with the silent removal of his nickel from the shelf. He clutched it tight in his palm for a second before pocketing it. After that, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement.

  One by one, everyone went into the recreation room, slow and silent, as if walking up to a grave. And it was. The only grave Nico would ever receive. It seemed appropriate that the portrait of Julia lay eternally inside the man’s proverbial tomb.

  Until the bitter end and after, they deserved to be together.

  It took Snow’s touch, a gentle pressure against her shoulder, for Jo to realize everyone was looking at her. Waiting.

  She looked at each member of her team, her family, and offered what she hoped was a look of deep understanding. They were all going to miss Nico; they all recognized that he’d deserved far better. So, with steady steps and steadier hands, Jo walked up to his final painting, a perfect likeness of his Julia, his love. Jo knelt before it and picked up the forgotten paintbrush. Dipping it in an open tube of paint, she drew a small star on the corner of the easel before returning it to its rightful place. And where it would stay.

  Jo wanted to tell herself that there was nothing more that they could have done. Perhaps one of them had always been doomed to this fate. But, she was discovering that the actions of so-called “fate” left a bitter aftertaste. It was something she’d never quietly swallow again. She would rip the very notion of destiny to pieces if she must to protect her friends.

  Yes, Jo would destroy everything, if that’s what it took to free them from the Society itself.

  ON SALE JULY 2018

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  JOSEPHINA IS UNRAVELING. A new wish is pushing the weary members of the Society to their breaking points. But as Jo’s complex relationship with their leader reveals dangerous truths about who she truly is, and was, her priorities quickly change. Now, she seeks to expose the enemy lurking in their midst, but it may already be too late to thwart an ancient goddess bent on stealing Jo’s power and destroying everything she loves.

  Elise’s Acknowledgements

  MY EDITOR, REBECCA—I do not think a manuscript will go by where I do not thank you. Your patience, professionalism, and pushing me to always do better is critical to the creation of my stories.

  LYNN—Thank you for all of your hard work on this project. I believe so much in this world we’re building and have had such a great time building it with you.

  ROBERT—I can never seem to find enough words for you, my dear. But I’ll keep writing books until I get close.

  CAITLIN, MELISA, and MI-MI—Thank you for continuing to work with us on beta reading. Having your eyes on this project early has been so helpful.

  AMANDA—You’re an absolute gem. Thank you for all your support. I can’t wait for the next signing I have in Austin so I can catch a ride with you again.

  EMILY, HETAL, LINDA, MEGAN—When the call went out, you each stepped up to help me re-tool book one and give me new insights on what needed to happen to make book two even better. Thank you for your support and friendship.

  THE TOWER GUARD—I can’t say enough how much you all help me and shape my work. Your never-ending support is the foundation of my survival as an author. It’s dramatic, but I do not think I would be anywhere close to where I am now without having you there as readers, as feedback, and as friends.

  DANIELLE—My books would each have the worst synopsis in the world were it not for you. Thank you for always being so such a good friend, whether it’s professional advice, or just rambling away on Twitter.

  MOM and DAD—Thank you for your never-ending support and interest in my work. I so appreciate the “CT” and proofreading around the world. Love you both.

  MER—Thanks for helping make my new office, and the home around it, amazing. I’m so much more productive because of it.

  Lynn’s Acknowledgements

  ROBERT—For always being there when I need someone to lean on, for playing checkers with me when I feel like running away, and for being totally and completely awesome.

  BLAINE—For being so supportive of my ventures in another field, for housing us at our first book signing, and for being the literal best boss a person could ask for.

  THE WILLARD’S BEER COMMUNITY—For being the most kind and supportive group of people a debut author could hope to surround herself with. To everyone who showed up at my first signing, to everyone who bought a book, and to everyone who left a review, you have all of my thanks and more.

  ELISE—For continuing to put up with my shit.

  About the Author: Elise Kova

  ELISE KOVA has always had a profound love of fantastical worlds. Somehow, she managed to focus on the real world long enough to graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration before crawling back under her favorite writing blanket to conceptualize her next magic system. She currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and when she is not writing can be found playing video games, watching anime, or talking with readers on social media.

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  About the Author: Lynn Larsh

  LYNN LARSH considers herself to be a serial hobby-dabbler. She got a bachelors degree in music (which she used for all of four months), studied aerial acrobatics and classical piano for many years, worked briefly as a stunt woman in a Wild West stunt show (it's a long story), and eventually settled down into the bar tending business in St. Petersberg, FL. When she's not acting as a purveyor of fine libations, you can find her diving head first into her newest venture as a New Adult author, or simply writing Voltron fan fiction on Archive of Our Own.

  Visit her on the web at: https://www.lynnlarsh.com/

  Also by Elise Kova

  THE AIR AWAKENS SERIES

  A library apprentice with rare elemental powers. A sorcerer prince with a dark past. And the magical bond between them that will change the future of an Empire.

  READ NOW: http://getbook.at/AAGG

  THE LOOM SAGA

  Enter into a world of steampunk, re-imagined Dragons, and bloody magic in the Loom Saga. An engineer turned organ thief forms an unlikely alliance for the future of her world.

  READ NOW: http://mybook.to/TAOL