Skyhunter
Page 34
The Premier watches me as I fight to stay upright. “Your mother will die, unless you consider my offer. I won’t make it a second time. If you choose to become a Skyhunter to the Federation, I promise you that your mother will be pardoned of her crimes. I will release her and give her the chance to earn a place for herself in the new society that the Federation will establish in Mara. She wasn’t allowed to live inside Newage, but perhaps now she can have a proper home, and some sense of dignity.”
I stare at him, quietly inspecting the soul in his gaze. He knows he will run out of time soon, die young. His weakening body will eventually return to dust. But before then, there is a searing determination in him to build, an urgency to leave behind his legacy before whatever illness he has claims him. A belief that only he is capable of creating an unbroken empire, that he—more so even than the Karensa Federation—is the one destined to inherit the world. All this time, what drives him isn’t fulfillment of the Early Ones’ mantra. It isn’t Infinite Destiny. It is instead what drives all tyrants.
It is his fear of death.
He studies me for a second longer. When I don’t move right away, he looks back at the soldiers holding my mother and gives them a nod.
The guard holding the dagger grabs my mother by the hair.
And I sink to my knees.
There is no other choice I can make. It’s my turn to become the Chief Architect, pledging my loyalty to the Premier, promising to do terrible things for him in exchange for my mother’s life. Here, I am a child again, clutching my mother’s hand and looking over my shoulder in terror as the sound of Ghosts comes steadily closer. I can feel the way my mother squeezed me tightly to her that night, can see the sad smile on her face as we watch the bridges collapse behind us.
And in this moment, I finally, finally understand why I fight for Mara. It is because my mother sacrificed everything to bring me here, went hungry so that I would not, lived in squalor so that I would not. Mara is the gift she gave me. And I’ll be damned if she did that for nothing. I’ll be damned if I don’t fight for that gift.
I’ll be damned if our enemy now spills my mother’s blood on these floors, erases the life from her face.
So I lower my eyes before the Premier. Everything in me feels numb. In vain, I try to reach out through the bond that connects me to Red, aching to feel the reassurance of his presence on the other end. Tears well against my closed lids. Red, I call out to him, searching sadly.
At first, all I can sense is that ever-present whisper of his heart. Just a beat, faint and low. Nothing more.
And then somewhere through the darkness comes the faintest pulse. A response.
It is nothing more than a glimmer. A vision of a dark, murky, fragmented landscape. It is so weak that I initially think perhaps I’ve fallen asleep and into a dream. Maybe it is. A dream of Red, and the world through his eyes.
His wings push him low across the landscape of a smoldering Newage. Fires burn like beacons across Mara and bodies litter the field outside the city like heaps of timber. Even up here, he can make out those that have been transformed into new Ghosts, their figures contorting and twisting, limbs and bones breaking to grow longer and more monstrous. Chains are snapped onto their necks.
His eyes turn north. He alters his course and flies lower, turning in an arc to get a better look.
Then he sees the movement again. A figure clad in sapphire, deep in the forests north of the capital.
A Striker.
She turns her eyes up at him as he angles lower over the trees. The sight of his silhouette makes her dart undercover—but then she slowly peeks up again.
It’s Adena. Blood and tears streak her face, but she grins up at him with a piercing smile and motions for him to land.
I don’t see Jeran with her. I have no idea if he survived the assault. But Adena is alive. And off in the trees, I glimpse others in blue coats.
I open my eyes, my gaze turned to the floor, my tears still unshed, my heart aching with grief. Red, I call out again, reaching through the bond. But whatever I’d witnessed has faded, leaving behind only his heartbeat.
Was this vision real? Or had I just dreamed it? Maybe I want so badly to believe they are out there that I’d conjured this sight for myself. But I don’t care. The strength of it stays with me, burning hope into my chest.
“Do you agree?” Constantine says to me.
I stare up at him, silent, letting myself hang on to my anger while I still can.
I nod once and bow my head.
He thinks he has won, that I am proof of the final defeat of a nation. He thinks he will alter my mind, erase who I am, and dedicate me to his cause. He will cut open my back and peel away the human in me, filling me instead with black steel and bladed wings. He will change me into his war machine, an angel of death. Then he will try to make me forget by showering me with land, wealth, and respect.
But conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground.
To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive.
I am not done. I will not forget.
The guards step away from my mother. The Premier gives me an approving nod.
“Good,” he says. “Now, my Skyhunter, let’s begin.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Through thick and thin, I’ve always leaned on the shoulders of Jen Besser, my incredible editor. Thank you for guiding me through this difficult, difficult book and, above all, for being a wonderful friend. Each year I feel more grateful to know and work with you. Huge thank-you to Kate Meltzer and Luisa Beguiristaín for helping me beat this story into shape, and Anne Heausler, without whom I would be lost.
To Kristin Nelson, my agent and friend and mentor, thank you for always being there for me. I don’t think there’s anything left unsaid between us at this point, so all I can do is reiterate: You’re amazing. To the entire team at Nelson Literary Agency, thank you so much.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be in the hands of the Macmillan Children’s team: Jon Yaged, Allison Verost, Kristin Dulaney, Molly B. Ellis, Mariel Dawson, Lucy Del Priore, Kathryn Little, Katie Halata, and Kelsey Marrujo, thank you for welcoming me into the family with such open arms. Molly and Kelsey, thank you especially for all the tour adventures! Your dog and cat, respectively, are the actual cutest.
To Aurora Parlagreco and Novans V. Adikresna: Skyhunter’s cover is everything from my wildest dreams times one hundred. I still can’t stop staring at it. A huge thank-you to Beth Clark and Rodica Prato for the stunning map on the interior. Thank you for the honor of all your beautiful work!
To the amazing Kassie Evashevski and Wayne Alexander, thank you for always protecting me and my stories and for constantly searching for the perfect homes for them.
Skyhunter’s first pages came into being on a writing retreat, when I was lucky enough to get advice and wisdom (and votes!) from some amazing lady friends. Cassie Clare, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Leigh Bardugo, thank you for reading the earliest, wonkiest version of this story and guiding me down the right path—all as we floated in the ocean. Love you all. To my dearest Amie Kaufman, Tahereh Mafi, and Sabaa Tahir, thank you for cheerleading me on with this book whenever I needed it the most. To Aun-Juli and Dianne, thank you for always letting me lean on you.
To all the librarians, booksellers, and teachers around the world, your work is more important to us now than ever before. For opening up our eyes to knowledge and truth, for advocating literacy and books, for reaching out to children and adults alike, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Finally, to Primo Gallanosa, for being the most wonderful husband and friend anyone could hope for, and to our little son, the brightest light in our lives. You’re my inspiration for everything.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Legend series, The Young Elites trilogy, Batman: Nightwalker, and the Warcross series. She graduated from the
University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, where she worked as an artist. A full-time writer, she spends her spare hours reading, drawing, playing games, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in the traffic-jam capital, Los Angeles, with her illustrator/author husband, Primo Gallanosa, their Pembroke Welsh corgi, and their Chihuahua-monster mix. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
The Warfront: The Nation of Mara
Chapter 1
Newage Inner City: The Nation of Mara
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The Warfront: The Karensa Federation
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Newage: The Nation of Mara
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Text copyright © 2020 by Xiwei Lu
Map copyright © 2020 by Rodica Prato
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Roaring Brook Press is a division of
Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
fiercereads.com
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020908739
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eISBN 9781250221698
First hardcover edition, 2020
eBook edition, 2020