by Peter Newman
They hefted the great chunk of stone out over the edge. It was unmoved by the essence currents and hung straight down. Their wings were another matter, and Pari had to fight to stop from being blown backwards.
‘Ready?’ she called to Arkav.
‘On three,’ he called back. They bent their legs in preparation, their Sky-legs coiling, building power. ‘One … Two …’
‘Three!’ she shouted, determined to get the last word.
And together, they jumped.
Acknowledgements
It feels strange to be writing this now. There’s a big gap between drafting a book and writing the acknowledgements, and in that gap for The Ruthless my life has changed radically. If you’ll forgive the pretension, I feel a little like a Deathless who wrote a book in one lifecycle and is reflecting on it from another.
Given how certain aspects of my existence have shifted I feel especially lucky to have a team of people around me that are tried and true, and that I can rely on. Big thanks to my agent, Juliet, who gives great advice and has a way of making me feel better even in tough times. It’s taken me a while to learn that she is always right, but I think I’ve got it now.
We should probably all thank Natasha, for general editing awesomeness and for crushing a certain section of the book for the sake of your reading pleasure. Thanks too, for additional edits from Jack, copy edits from Joy, and general fabulosity from the Harper Voyager team of ninjas that continue to work from the shadows. And thanks to Chris Tulloch McCabe for the wonderful cover.
I’d also like to give a special mention to Emma for coming to the book’s rescue at one point with colour-coded post-its, an objective eye and a warm drink.
Lastly, thanks to you for picking up The Ruthless. I’m not always sure why people read the strange things I write, but it means the world that they do.
Also by Peter Newman
The Deathless
The Vagrant
The Malice
The Seven
Short Stories
The Hammer and the Goat
The Vagrant and the City
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