Then the travelers still had the astrolabe, and, for some reason, had left Sophia for dead. While it wasn’t in Ironwood’s hands, the Thorns were equally dangerous, equally motivated to see their own agenda through. The astrolabe passing into their possession had been enough to alter the timeline, to orphan Etta from her era—a powerful alteration to the fabric of time.
Would retrieving it, destroying it, be enough to restore the world Etta had known? Nicholas wasn’t so sure, but it would be a start. Determination swelled inside him as he took another step toward the girl. He could do this—by land, by sea, over mountains, through valleys—he could track the Thorns, retrieve the astrolabe, and find Etta.
And he would have an unexpected resource at his side.
Sophia wheezed painfully as she drew in her next breath. One eye was so swollen, the lid looked sealed shut. Nicholas would be surprised if she managed to keep it. The other cracked open a sliver, looking up at him with her usual scorn.
The time would come—not at this moment, not even in the coming days, but soon—when Sophia would answer for what she had done. But for now, she was of far more use to Nicholas alive than in the presence of her maker.
“Look lively,” he said. “We’ve a journey to make.”
I’VE BEEN BLESSED TO WORK WITH THE INCREDIBLE team at Hyperion for…has it really been almost five years? Time flies when you’re having fun! Thank you forever and always to Emily Meehan, my editor, as well as Laura Schreiber and Hannah Allaman, who all put so much time and thought into helping me whip this unruly book into shape. (Trust me, it was not easy!) Thanks also to Seale Ballenger, Stephanie Lurie, Dina Sherman, LaToya Maitland, Heather Crowley, Holly Nagel, Elke Villa, Andrew Sansone—you guys are the stuff that author-dreams are made of! And Marci Senders? You are a cover goddess.
Special shout-out to copy editor extraordinaire Anna Leuchtenberger. It is such a pleasure to work with you! Thank you for catching all of my crazy mixed metaphors and making me look so good!
To Merrilee Heifetz and the whole gang at Writers House, you are the cream of the crop. I’m so lucky to work with all of you—thank you for taking such incredible care of me and my little books.
I owe a huge debt to my amazing friends, all of whom gave me the confidence and feedback I needed to shape the characters and the direction of the story. Thank you to the inimitable Sarah J. Maas for reading the very first draft of this, back when it was a half-baked mess, and not only giving me the fix that saved the book, but, as always, requesting that there be more kissing. The brilliant Erin Bowman and Susan Dennard both gave me such wise advice about the beginning and helped me reshape it after months of frustration. Wendy Higgins, you are the crown jewel of ladies—thank you so much for reading an early draft of this book and for all of your support! Kevin Dua, I owe you big-time for reading this and giving it your thoughts. And, as always, many, many, many thanks to Anna Jarzab—not only for believing in me and this book, but for always being game to read, brainstorm, and help me untangle the time-travel paradoxes that seemed to pop up daily.
Finally, I’m overflowing with love and gratitude for my family. Not to get too cheesy with this, but I’d be nowhere without you guys. Mom, while you aren’t a ruthless time-traveling mama willing to do whatever’s necessary to guard the future, you are, in fact, my hero. Thank you for reading so many versions of this story and giving me your notes and feedback—this one’s for you!
ALEXANDRA BRACKEN is the New York Times best-selling author of the Darkest Minds series. Born and raised in Arizona, she moved east to study history and English at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. After working in publishing for several years, Alex now writes full-time and can be found hard at work on her next novel in a charming little apartment that’s perpetually overflowing with books. Visit her online at www.alexandrabracken.com and on Twitter @alexbracken