The Secrets of Solace

by Jaleigh Johnson

  We stepped into a room full of statues and saw Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, then peeked in another room and stumbled upon Michelangelo’s Rebellious Slave. All those rooms, thousands of works of art—how could anyone possibly keep track of everything? Do any of these treasures ever get lost, forgotten in some musty, abandoned corner?

  I left the museum and tucked all those rooms and art treasures safely away in my mind. Years later, when I took them out and dusted them off, I saw Lina and Ozben crouched in that sculpture gallery, hiding from an assassin. Then they were running through a portrait room, only to end up on a staircase holding a jar of memories. The museum in my head wasn’t the Louvre anymore. It was something else. Something new. That’s the thing about ideas. They shift shape like a chamelin, become more than what I expected.

  So I’d been carrying around a museum in my head for seven years, and let me tell you, it was a weighty beast. But its story had finally come, and it was Lina and Ozben’s story, the Merlin’s story, and the story of the archivists, those wonderful, eccentric men and women who have made it their life’s mission to preserve thousands of artifacts from different worlds.

  But if it weren’t for the Louvre and the dozens of other museums I’ve visited in my lifetime, this story wouldn’t exist. And if it weren’t for a number of talented, dedicated, and very patient people, this book wouldn’t have been possible.

  To my mom and dad, and to my brother, Jeff, who all told me, “Do whatever you have to do to get the book written. This is important. We will help you however we can”: you may never know how much those words meant to me.

  To Elizabeth, Gary, and Kelly, my extraordinary writing group, for telling me how much they loved Aethon and for making me see the story, and Lina’s character, in a whole other light. I’m so lucky to have you as crit partners and friends.

  To my agent, Sara Megibow, thank you for being the skilled dungeon master guiding me through publishing adventures. Yeah, she’s a gamer. She’ll know what I’m talking about.

  To my amazing editor, Krista Marino, and to Monica Jean and everyone on the team at Delacorte Press, thank you for all your hard work and support, and thank you for loving this book as much as I do. It means the world to me.

  Finally, special thanks to my husband, Tim. Yes, I put you in the dedication and you’re in the acknowledgments too (hi there!), because you put up with so much while I’m writing. Thank you for Paris. I love you to pieces.

  Jaleigh Johnson is the author of The Mark of the Dragonfly and The Secrets of Solace. She is a lifelong reader, gamer, and moviegoer and loves nothing better than to escape into fictional worlds and take part in fantastic adventures. Jaleigh lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest, but you can visit her online at jaleighjohnson.com or on Twitter at @JaleighJohnson.