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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Copyright © Neverafter PTY LTD 2019
Trinity logo by James Orr
Maps by Virginia Allyn
Cover illustration © Kerby Rosanes
Other cover images © Shutterstock.com (sun textures)
Cover design by Micaela Alcaino © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
Jay Kristoff asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. 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.
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Source ISBN: 9780008180089
Ebook Edition © July 2019 ISBN: 9780008180102
Version: 2019-08-02
Well, here we are again, gentlefriend.
I think perhaps an apology is in order. Both for the conclusion of the second part of Mia’s tale, and for the g I left you in afterward. You seemed quite upset. Be assured there will be no cliff-hangers in this, our final dance together. As promised, her birth you’ve witnessed, her life you’ve lived. All that remains is her death.
But before the smut and butchery begin in earnest, allow me one final refresher for those with memories as reliable as your narrator. And then we can get on with killing our murderous little bitch, yes?
Mia Corvere—assassin of the Red Church, gladiatii of the Falcons of Remus, and now the most infamous murderer in the Itreyan Republic. The child of a failed rebellion, Mia has spent the last eight years of her life pursuing a murderous vendetta against the men who destroyed her familia.
After discovering the Red Church had a hand in her father’s murder, Mia broke ranks with the assassins and sold herself to a gladiatii stable. Upon winning the grand games of Godsgrave, Mia made several stunning discoveries in quick succession:
Her baby brother, Jonnen, whom she presumed dead, had been stolen by her mortal enemy, Consul Julius Scaeva, and raised as his son.
Jonnen actually is Scaeva’s son. Meaning Mia’s mother, Alinne, was sleeping with the man who would eventually oversee her husband’s murder and her own death in the Philosopher’s Stone.
Like Mia, Jonnen is darkin, possessed of the ability to control shadows.
At the conclusion of the grand games, Mia assassinated Grand Cardinal Francesco Duomo. She also apparently murdered Scaeva and stole back her brother before falling to her almost-certain death in a flooded arena full of stormdrakes.
… Maw’s teeth, that really was a thrilling finale, wasn’t it?
Mister Kindly—Mia’s companion since childhood, Mister Kindly is—depending on who you ask—a daemon, passenger, or familiar, with the ability to eat people’s fear. He is made of shadows and sarcasm. Despite his acerbic wit, he obviously has a deep and abiding fondness for Mia. Just don’t let him hear you say that.
He wears the shape of a cat, though like most things about him, his appearance is not entirely genuine.