My blood boils, from heat and from anger. Eduardo is one of Joya’s most powerful and trusted lords. A member of the Quorum of Five, no less. But he has robbed hundreds, maybe thousands, of their livelihoods to feed his ambition. He has taken their horses and camels, their carriages and food stores, even their young men, for military use. And he has done it so that he can divide my country and crown himself a king.
I grab my water skin from its hook at my waist and take a much deeper draft than I should. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and toss the water skin to Mara, who catches it deftly.
“A queen shouldn’t have to steal her own horses,” Mara says.
“Do you have a better suggestion?” I ask. “Announce our mission, maybe?”
“Stealing will attract attention too.”
I nod. “But better than parading in full regalia into the next village and commandeering what I need. With luck, the conde won’t hear of the theft for a long time. And if he does, it might not occur to him that it was his queen.”
Storm chuckles. “Queen, chosen one, horse thief. Let it never be said that you are not accomplished.”
My attempt to glare at him fails when my lips start to twitch.
“In that case . . .” Belén says, a slow grin spreading across his face. “We need a plan.”
The sun is low on the horizon, painting the plateau and its toothed outcroppings in fiery shades of coral. The breeze picks up, flinging hair that has loosened from my braids into my eyes and mouth. Though we skirt the great sand desert to the south, the evening wind will kick up enough dust to make travel almost impossible. Not much time left today. “A plan will wait until we’ve camped for the night,” I say.
From habit, I turn to look for Hector, seeking his quiet approval. I don’t catch myself until it’s too late, until I’ve lost him all over again.
“Elisa?” Mara says.
I clench my hands into fists. “Let’s run,” I say. And we do.
About the Author
Rae Carson is the author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, The Crown of Embers, and The Bitter Kingdom. Locus, the premier magazine for science fiction and fantasy, proclaimed, “Carson joins the ranks of writers like Kristin Cashore, Megan Whalen Turner, and Tamora Pierce as one of YA’s best writers of high fantasy.” The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a finalist for the Morris YA Debut Award and one of ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults. Rae Carson dabbled in many things, from teaching to corporate sales to customer service, before becoming a full-time writer. She lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio. You can follow her on Twitter.
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Copyright
Text copyright © 2013 by Rae Carson
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ISBN 978-0-06-227304-8
Epub Edition © JUNE 2013 ISBN 9780062273048
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