At least one of the tasks isn't impossible.
I almost said it out loud. I almost said, I'm in love with you. Even though it didn't make sense, me being in love with him, even though it pissed me off – because he treated me like a kid sometimes and he sulked around when he was in a bad mood and he hated the ocean. But I loved him and if I kissed him then it would complete one of the tasks.
And if one of the tasks was completed, then the other two could be as well.
Naji sat down on the sand, his legs stretched out in front of him. He looked so sad I didn't think I could stand it. After a few moments, I sat down beside him. The sea misted over us, and I could taste the salt in the back of my throat.
"I don't think the tasks are really impossible," I said.
"And what do you know about magic?"
I pushed the sting of that aside. "I saved your life with it."
He didn't answer. I scooted close to him and put one hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head toward me, his hair tickling the tops of my knuckles.
"Marjani will come," I said. "She'll keep her word."
"She didn't actually promise–"
"Shut up. She'll come. And then we'll get a boat, and we'll find the princess' starstones and get into battle after battle until you figure out a way to create life from fighting."
He scowled out at the horizon line. The gray northern light fell around us like rain, and the sea slammed against the underside of the island.
And in the secret spaces of my mind, I imagined true love's kiss.
To be concluded in THE PIRATE'S WISH.
Acknowledgments
I would like to foremost thank my parents, primarily for not balking when I decided to earn a graduate degree in creative writing but also for all their support over the years, and Ross Andrews, who deserves my utmost gratitude for encouraging me even when I wanted to quit and for helping me through the highs and lows of pursuing a writing career.
My beta reader Amanda Cole helped me shape this book from a mess into a story, and our discussions about reading and writing have helped me as much as any class. Bobby Mathews, one of my oldest friends, has watched me develop as a writer and given me encouragement and advice all along the way. Stephanie Denise Brown and Stephanie Scudder propped me up through the six weeks of Clarion West and proved invaluable in their critiques. To all my friends: thank you.
I would also like to thank Dr Janet Lowery, Dr Elizabeth Harris, Peter LaSalle, and my instructors at the
2010 Clarion West Writers Workshop, for sharing their knowledge, wisdom, and advice. Finally, I would like to thank Amanda Rutter, Lee Harris, and all the rest of the team at Angry Robot, for taking a chance with their Open Door Month and giving me this opportunity. And special thanks to my agent Stacia Decker, for all the work – too much to list! – that she has done to help me.
About the Author
Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St Thomas with a bachelor's degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master's degree in creative writing at the University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.
Unlike many authors, Cassandra does not have a resume of peculiar careers. She worked at a Barnes and Noble once – that's about as exciting as it gets. In her spare time she enjoys drawing, painting, crocheting, cooking, and quilting, because she is secretly an old lady. She will see literally any movie as long as it's in a theater. She watches television. She doesn't play many video games, though.
cassandraroseclarke.com
STRANGE CHEMISTRY
An Angry Robot imprint and a member of the Osprey Group
Lace Market House
54-56 High Pavement
Nottingham NG1 1HW
UK
www.strangechemistrybooks.com
Strange Chemistry #4
A Strange Chemistry paperback original 2012
1
Copyright © Cassandra Rose Clarke 2012
Cassandra Rose Clarke asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-908844-00-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-908844-02-6
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All rights reserved.
Printed in the UK by CPI Mackays, Chatham, ME5 8TD.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
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This novel is entirely a work of fction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.