These Rebel Waves
Page 33
“Shh,” he purred. “You didn’t weep as a child. Tears don’t become you.”
“Lu!” Vex shouted, but she couldn’t turn, couldn’t see.
Milo slid out the blade and released her. Lu dropped, the Lazonade’s numbness cresting over her. She told herself she should be writhing, she should feel something—
“ADELUNA!” Vex screamed.
As she hit the deck and Ben dove for her, lifting her head in the crook of his elbow, she saw Vex, by the railing. Edda held him back, and the panic on his face was so potent Lu almost rescinded her order. No, let him stay, please, don’t leave me—
Edda, her face a mask of agony, hefted Vex overboard as she jumped. Defensors flung themselves at the railing, firing after them into the ocean.
Lu felt his absence through the Lazonade. She felt the ache of watching Vex leave her on the deck of this ship, knowing that that was the last time she would see him, and that he would die now, too. She wouldn’t be able to save him.
Lu whimpered again, and the ship rocked—or no, it was her vision, spiraling and fading. The world melted into colors, the blue of the sky, the orange of Gunnar’s protective fire blasts, and red, somewhere—on Ben, her blood squishing through his fingers.
“We need her!” Ben shouted. “We need her!” Fainter. Farther.
A rush of images. A flutter of sound.
And then, a void.
Acknowledgments
Here we are, darlings. The start of a new series. And while I have a plethora of people to thank for getting me this far, I would be remiss if I began this mushy letter of gratitude to anyone other than YOU.
You, reader, who have either followed me from the Snow Like Ashes series or grabbed this book anew. You, reader, who make this journey possible with every excited tweet, every loving email, every GIF-filled review. I am so grateful to you for giving this book a chance, and for letting my little world become your little world. I hope you got what you needed—and maybe a few things you didn’t need, too.
Firstly, thanks are due to Kristin Rens, editor extraordinaire, who continues to “be the reason my daughter is so stressed” (as my mother says). But stressed in the best way. In the “SHE’S RIGHT—WHY IS SHE RIGHT” way that is the mark of a great editor. My books are always better after they’ve been pushed through your sieve.
Mackenzie Brady Watson. When people talk about finding the perfect agent, they mean you. I am thankful every day that you chose me to be your client, and I strive to make art that lives up to you.
The Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins Children’s team: Kelsey Murphy; Michelle Taormina, Alison Donalty, and Jeff Huang, who gave me yet another unbearably glorious cover; Renée Cafiero, Mark Rifkin, Allison Brown, Olivia Russo, Bess Braswell, Sabrina Abballe, Michael D’Angelo, Jane Lee, and Tyler Breitfeller.
I have to call out some specific readers/bloggers/friends by name: Melissa Lee; Rae Chang; Ben Alderson; Branden (his generous Aleppo donation earned him a role in this book as captain of the Grace Loray castle guard); my resplendent War Council who carried over their passion from the SLA series, particularly the incomparable Melany; Julia Nollie; and so many more, too many more, I am bleary-eyed with gratitude for how many names I could list here. You all continue to make this career worthwhile. Thank you.
Writer friends, near and far and everywhere in between: Kristen Simmons (WIFEY), Evelyn Skye (pirates are, like, sooo much better than ninjas), Lisa Maxwell, Kristen Lippert-Martin, Olivia, Danielle, Anne, Claire, Akshaya, Janella, Madeleine, Samantha, Natalie, Jenn—again, I am blessed beyond belief to have made so many friends through this industry that my publisher is playing the proverbial “wrap it up” music.
To my family. Kelson and Oliver—you are places of calm in a profession that demands chaos. My parents, Doug and Mary Jo, for still acting like this is my debut book. To Melinda—you’re not in this book, but hey, it takes place on a tropical island! Aunt Brenda (affectionately G2A), for letting us invade your house. Nicole, Uncle Ed, Cousin Lillian, and all the extended, wonderful members of my family who continue to be proud and excited and text me pictures of people reading my books—I could not ask for a more supportive, loving group to come from. Y’all are good people.
To Amy Egan, for listening to me complain and still being my friend afterward.
And finally, to C. S. Pacat, Seth Dickinson, Valerie Tripp, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko, and all the other authors, creators, and artists who make me fight, every word, to be half as good as they are.
About the Author
Photo credit Joodie Photo, LLC
SARA RAASCH has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then: her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things, and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series. You can visit her online at www.sararaasch.tumblr.com and @seesarawrite on Twitter.
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Books by Sara Raasch
Snow Like Ashes
Ice Like Fire
Frost Like Night
These Rebel Waves
These Divided Shores
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Copyright
Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THESE REBEL WAVES. Copyright © 2018 by Sara Raasch. Map art © 2018 by Jordan Saia. Interior art © 2018 by Michelle Taormina. 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art by Jeff Huang
Cover design by Michelle Taormina
* * *
Digital Edition AUGUST 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-247152-9
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-247150-5
ISBN 978-0-06-247150-5 (trade) — ISBN 978-0-06-284272-5 (int.)
* * *
1819202122PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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