by Ava Jae
“Amplify the glass,” Deimos tells the guide.
The orb hovers over the glass as I place my trembling hand on the surface and it verifies me again. Light bursts from the guide and it projects the image into the air in front of Ashen and me, for all to see.
Asha’s smile fills the room, and quiet gasps scatter through the air. Ashen’s eyes widen at the image in front of us.
And so the recording begins, broadcasting not just to the room, but to the whole world as the guides relay the feed. My whole body vibrates with my father’s words; my clenched jaw does little to stop my chattering teeth as everything changes.
They won’t be able to fight this. I know it with everything inside me, with every shuddering beat of my heart, with every tremble of my cold hands. I know it like I know my father’s smile, like I know the words hushing the room, the words burning into my spirit and weaving into my cells. The answer was with me all along—it was sitting on my finger; it was my father protecting me before I was even born. Before he’d ever met me.
He didn’t know me for long. He must have found me briefly—held me long enough to give my birth mother the ring. I wish I could remember what it felt like to have him hold me; I wish I could remember the words he said to me that night.
But maybe even though I don’t remember the details, even though I’ll never unbury the memories of my first night, maybe I haven’t forgotten everything because his voice feels right. It reverberates inside me, and even as I stand beside the man who’d do anything to see me fail, even as I face a room full of royals and the world, even as my father’s memory declares me his successor, I’m not afraid.
There’s no question now: I was always meant to be here.
The recording ends. The projection disappears. A held breath; the silent plunge; the hush before a thunderclap—
The roar of voices erupts around me—an explosion of cheers, and shouts, and anger, and joy.
Deimos beams at me and laughs—and me?
I stand before the chaos and smile.
Glossary/Pronunciation Guide
Note: /r/ is rolled (similar to a Spanish /r/) and /j/ is closer to an English /y/.
Sepharon (SEH-fah-rohn, as pronounced by Sepharon; SEH-fur-on, as pronounced by nomads): the native species of Safara.
Safara (SAH-fah-rah): the planet the Sepharon and nomads live on; in a separate solar system from Earth.
Sephari (SEH-fah-ree, as pronounced by Sepharon; SEH-fur-ee, as pronounced by nomads): the language all Sepharon speak.
el/ol Avra (el/ohl AH-vrah): my/your majesty; Avrae are rulers of the eight territories.
el/ol Sira (el/ohl SEE-rah): my/your high majesty; the Sira is the high ruler who all Avrae must submit to.
Avrae/Sirae (AH-vray/SEE-ray): plural forms of Avra and Sira
ko (koh): a ruler’s spouse; ranks directly under the ruler.
kaï (KAH-ee): prince
saï (SAH-ee): princess
kjo/sjo (kyoh/syoh): plural forms of kaï and saï
Kala (kah-lah): God
ve (veh): sir
ken (kehn): the
sha (shah): yes
naï (NAH-ee): no
kazim (KAH-zeem): wildcat
[City] ora’jeve (oh-RAH-yeh-veh): [City] greets you (all)—the equivalent to “Welcome to [city].”
or’jiva (ohr-YEE-vah): greetings (to one person)
orenjo (oh-REN-yoh): honor that is earned.
naïjera (nah-EE-yeh-rah): relax
ljuma (LYOO-mah): a tangy fruit.
azuka (AH-zoo-kah): a powerful drink, somewhat equivalent to alcohol.
zeïli (zeh-EE-lee): a leaf that’s dried and smoked for a relaxing and mood-boosting effect.
lijara/lijarae (lee-YAH-rah/lee-YAH-ray): umbrella term equivalent to queer people (lijarae is the plural form)
el ljma si… (el LYEH-mah see): my name is…
alaja (ah-LAH-yah) and nejdo (NEY-doh): stringed instruments
ulae (OO-lay): a traditional uniform worn by Ona’s military men since before the Great War.
ikrat (EE-kraht): death
kata (kah-tah): a flat food wrap, similar to a tortilla
ushri (OOSH-ree): a savory orange spread
ana da Kala (anah dah kah-lah): literally “Kala’s heart,” meant to indicate even Kala is mourning when someone revered or well-loved dies
ko (koh): used to refer to spouses of Avrae and Sirae (often as Avra-ko or Sira-ko)
balaika (bah-LIE-kah): a modern A’Sharan style dance
keta-mel (keh-tah mehl): an A’Sharan special; a spicy meat stew often served on a flat wrap over a layer of rice
mana eran (mah-nah EH-ran): my brother
shae (SHAY): A’Sharan variation of “sha”; equivalent to “yeah”
ora’denja (OH-rah den-YAH): good morning (to you)
denna (dennah): literally “a morning”; response to ora’denja
kafra (KAH-fra): a swear word, similar in intensity to “fuck”
entu (EN-too): small furry desert animals with long tails; known as “fetchers” to the nomads
aska (askah): a white stone that reflects subtle colors, like opal; often used to build temples in the Southern territories
riase (REE-ah-seh): most respectful title used to address former rulers
Kala alehja (KAH-lah ah-LAY-ha): God above; phrase used to express exasperation
Kala’niasha (KAH-lah nee-AH-shah): literally “prayers to Kala”; phrase used to express condolences
kelo (keh-low): a cold, sweet dessert
sko/skoi (sko/skoy): a swear word used to describe someone who is a jerk (skoi is plural)
ej (ey): kind of like “hey”
melos (meh-lohs): a sweet, thick, orange dish that’s not quite solid, not quite liquid
ljnte (LEEN-teh): hot, white, sweet and spicy energy drink
Jorva (YOR-vah): Sepharon holy book
ufrike (oo-FREE-keh): an intoxicating drink
araban (ah-rah-BAHN): herb combined with zeïli for powerful intoxicating effect. Araban in particular is used as a sort of truth serum.
tenna (ten-nah): a hangover cure chew. It doesn’t taste great, but it works.
istel (EE-stehl): a white, partially solid food, somewhat similar to Jell-O.
skel (skehl): another curse word, basically the equivalent of “shit”
er or’jiva (er OR-yee-vah): I welcome you; greetings to one person.
ta’nahasi: grandfather
General terms:
breath: (in terms of time) second
(sun)sets: equivalent to a day.
term: month (50 sets)
cycle: year (8 terms)
mo: moment: minute
Nomad slang:
brainblaze: migraine
blazing: somewhat equivalent British English “bloody.”
blazed: angry/ticked off
throwing sand: freaking out
junker: an old, beat-up transportation vehicle.
port: some sort of transportation vehicle, usually equivalent to cars or vans.
Acknowledgments
Writing a sequel has been one of my bucket list items for something like a decade, but I wouldn’t give myself permission to do it until the stars aligned. To say that I’m thrilled the stars shifted in all the right ways is an understatement.
Said alignment didn’t happen on its own, though, and I have a team of truly incredible people to thank for making this dream come true:
First thanks will always go to my Kala, my Creator. I’m so beyond grateful to have my dream career now with not one, but two books to share with the world. I’m more delighted than I can say.
To my incredible agent, who never fails to make me feel like an absolute rock star, Louise Fury, thank you for keeping me grounded enough to navigate this confusing and awesome career, but daring enough to dream big. Your encouragement and guidance means more to me than you know.
I have all the gratitude in the universe for my truly excellent Sky
Pony team. My lovely editor, Nicole Frail, thank you for believing in Eros and Kora’s continuing journey and pushing me to make it the best it can be. My equally lovely assistant editor, Kat Enright, thank you for the excitement, cheering—and especially those awesome reaction GIFs. Sammy Yuen, thank you for Into the Black’s stunning cover that I seriously can’t stop fawning over; Joshua Barnaby, thank you for yet another blazing amazing interior design masterpiece; and Ming Liu, thanks for helping me get this book into the hands of the right readers. You guise are the best.
To my awesome CP duo, Laura and Caitlin, I’m unendingly grateful for your support, enthusiasm, and, of course, invaluable thoughts on those early, raw drafts. And to Mark, Kelley, and Julia, thank you so much for your careful readings and wonderful feedback. Your insight truly means the world to me.
Shout out to my Tia and Aya, for reading my books and telling everyone about them. I will never tire of answering all of your excited publishing questions or hearing about the latest person you’ve shared my words with. ¡Te quiero muchísimo!
To my wonderful Twitter friends and Community of Awesome, your support, kind words, excitement, and perfectly random GIFs make my heart sing. And to you, reading this book right now, it’s hard to express how grateful I am to you for following me along this journey and spending time with my words. You guise are the reason I do this, and the reason I can continue making this dream-like career a reality. Seriously—thank you.