Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi
“I’ll gut you right here, witch,” he snarled in a heavy Fjerdan accent.At that moment, I heard the pounding of hooves and my attacker turned hishead to look down at the road.A group of riders roared into the glen, their kefta streaming red and blue, theirhands blazing fire and thunder. The lead rider was dressed in black.The Darkling slid from his mount and threw his hands wide, then broughtthem together with a resounding boom. Skeins of darkness shot from his claspedhands, snaking through the glen, finding the Fjerdan assassins, then slithering uptheir bodies to swathe their faces in seething shadow. They screamed. Somedropped their swords; others waved them blindly.From the hillside, I watched in mingled awe and horror as the Ravkan fightersseized the advantage, cutting down the blinded, helpless men with ease.The bearded man on top of me muttered something I did not understand. Ithought it might be a prayer. He was staring down at the slaughter in the glen,frozen, his terror palpable. I took my chance.“I’m here!” I called.The Darkling’s head turned. He raised his hands.“Nej!” bleated the Fjerdan, his knife held high. “I don’t need to see to put myknife through her heart!”I held my breath. Silence fell in the glen, broken only by the moans of dyingmen. The Darkling dropped his hands.“You must know that you’re surrounded,” he said calmly, his voice carryingthrough the trees.The assassin’s gaze darted right and left, then up to the crest of the hill whereRavkan soldiers were emerging, rifles at the ready. As the Fjerdan looked aroundfrantically, the Darkling edged a few steps up the slope.“No closer!” the man shrieked.The Darkling stopped. “Give her to me,” he said, “and I’ll let you scurry backto your King.”The assassin gave a crazed little giggle. “Oh no, oh no. I don’t think so,” hesaid, shaking his head, his knife held high above my pounding heart, its cruelpoint gleaming in the sun. “The Darkling doesn’t spare lives.” He looked downat me. His lashes were light blond, almost invisible. “He will not have you,” hecrooned softly. “He will not have the witch. He will not have this power too.” Heraised the knife higher and yowled, “Skirden Fjerda!”The knife plunged down in a shining arc. I turned my head, squeezing myeyes shut in terror, and as I did, I glimpsed the Darkling, his arm slashingthrough the air in front of him. I heard another crack like thunder and then …nothing.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and took in the horror before me. I opened mymouth to scream, but no sound would come. The man on top of me had been cutin two. His head, his right shoulder and his arm lay on the forest floor, his whitehand still clasping the knife. The rest of him swayed for a moment above me, adark wisp of smoke fading in the air beside the wound that ran the length of hissevered torso. Then what remained of him fell forward.I found my voice and screamed. I crawled backwards, scrambling away fromthe mutilated body, unable to get to my feet, unable to look away from the awfulsight, my body shaking uncontrollably.The Darkling hurried up the hill and knelt beside me, blocking my view of thecorpse. “Look at me,” he instructed.I tried to focus on his face, but all I could see was the assassin’s severed body,his blood pooling in the damp leaves. “What … what did you do to him?” Iasked, my voice quavering.“What I had to do. Can you stand?”I nodded shakily. He took my hands and helped me to my feet. When my gazeslid back to the corpse, he took hold of my chin and drew my eyes back to his.“At me,” he commanded.I nodded and tried to keep my eyes trained on the Darkling as he led me downthe hill and called out orders to his men.“Clear the road. I need twenty riders.”“The girl?” Ivan asked.“Rides with me,” said the Darkling.He left me by his horse as he went to confer with Ivan and his captains. I wasrelieved to see Fedyor with them, clutching his arm but looking otherwiseuninjured. I patted the horse’s sweaty flank and breathed in the clean leathersmell of the saddle, trying to slow the beating of my heart and to ignore what Iknew lay behind me on the hillside.A few minutes later, I saw soldiers and Grisha mounting their horses. Severalmen had finished clearing the tree from the road, and others were riding out withthe much-battered coach.“A decoy,” said the Darkling, coming up beside me. “We’ll take the southerntrails. It’s what we should have done in the first place.”“So you do make mistakes,” I said without thinking.He paused in the act of pulling on his gloves, and I pressed my lips togethernervously. “I didn’t mean—”“Of course I make mistakes,” he said. His mouth curved into a half smile.“Just not often.”He raised his hood and offered me his hand to help me onto the horse. For a
- Page 2 and 3: www.hachettechildrens.co.uk
- Page 4 and 5: PRAISE FORA New York Times Bestsell
- Page 6 and 7: ContentsCoverTitle PagePraise for S
- Page 8: THE GRISHASOLDIERS OF THE SECOND AR
- Page 11 and 12: of lessons in stifling classrooms.
- Page 13 and 14: “Leave us now.”“Wait!” excl
- Page 15 and 16: slash that had severed Ravka from i
- Page 17 and 18: slammed the book shut and run squea
- Page 19 and 20: through the darkness to West Ravka.
- Page 21 and 22: “He was short and pudgy and afrai
- Page 23 and 24: “Sure,” I said. But I didn’t.
- Page 25 and 26: CHAPTER 2The morning passed in a bl
- Page 27 and 28: the other, my heart pounding, my ey
- Page 29 and 30: thud as I fell forward and my head
- Page 31 and 32: were actually guarding me. Like a p
- Page 33 and 34: grand. The Grisha tent was like not
- Page 35 and 36: I frowned. If the Cartographer had
- Page 37 and 38: “So you didn’t see where the li
- Page 39 and 40: touch went that peculiar sense of c
- Page 41 and 42: “So I’m the Darkling’s prison
- Page 43 and 44: felt tears threatening again and bl
- Page 45 and 46: “A what?”Fedyor and Ivan exchan
- Page 47: He never finished his sentence. A s
- Page 51 and 52: CHAPTER 5The next few days passed i
- Page 53 and 54: on the earthen floor and built a fi
- Page 55 and 56: The Darkling sighed. “I doubt tha
- Page 57 and 58: country that had long been at war.T
- Page 59 and 60: CHAPTER 6I dreamed that I was back
- Page 61 and 62: ease in slowly. Military life had l
- Page 63 and 64: feeling the anger and embarrassment
- Page 65 and 66: A tall, broad-chested Grisha in red
- Page 67 and 68: particular affinity and made a gift
- Page 69 and 70: Light flooded the throne room, dren
- Page 71 and 72: subject.“The Apparat?”“Is he
- Page 73 and 74: Grand Palace, all of them dressed i
- Page 75 and 76: CHAPTER 8After a restless night, I
- Page 77 and 78: toothily at me. Marie looped her ar
- Page 79 and 80: a massive set of double doors in fr
- Page 81 and 82: Genya’s voice was light, but it h
- Page 83 and 84: “I can’t go with you. Not that
- Page 85 and 86: CHAPTER 9It was a complete disaster
- Page 87 and 88: the long brown robes or the dirty b
- Page 89 and 90: I nodded.“Homesick?”I shrugged.
- Page 91 and 92: CHAPTER 10Next morning, my body ach
- Page 93 and 94: us, and she still needed a flint to
- Page 95 and 96: knowing that I fitted into my new l
- Page 97 and 98: pushed my plate away. The prospect
Slowly, I opened my eyes and took in the horror before me. I opened my
mouth to scream, but no sound would come. The man on top of me had been cut
in two. His head, his right shoulder and his arm lay on the forest floor, his white
hand still clasping the knife. The rest of him swayed for a moment above me, a
dark wisp of smoke fading in the air beside the wound that ran the length of his
severed torso. Then what remained of him fell forward.
I found my voice and screamed. I crawled backwards, scrambling away from
the mutilated body, unable to get to my feet, unable to look away from the awful
sight, my body shaking uncontrollably.
The Darkling hurried up the hill and knelt beside me, blocking my view of the
corpse. “Look at me,” he instructed.
I tried to focus on his face, but all I could see was the assassin’s severed body,
his blood pooling in the damp leaves. “What … what did you do to him?” I
asked, my voice quavering.
“What I had to do. Can you stand?”
I nodded shakily. He took my hands and helped me to my feet. When my gaze
slid back to the corpse, he took hold of my chin and drew my eyes back to his.
“At me,” he commanded.
I nodded and tried to keep my eyes trained on the Darkling as he led me down
the hill and called out orders to his men.
“Clear the road. I need twenty riders.”
“The girl?” Ivan asked.
“Rides with me,” said the Darkling.
He left me by his horse as he went to confer with Ivan and his captains. I was
relieved to see Fedyor with them, clutching his arm but looking otherwise
uninjured. I patted the horse’s sweaty flank and breathed in the clean leather
smell of the saddle, trying to slow the beating of my heart and to ignore what I
knew lay behind me on the hillside.
A few minutes later, I saw soldiers and Grisha mounting their horses. Several
men had finished clearing the tree from the road, and others were riding out with
the much-battered coach.
“A decoy,” said the Darkling, coming up beside me. “We’ll take the southern
trails. It’s what we should have done in the first place.”
“So you do make mistakes,” I said without thinking.
He paused in the act of pulling on his gloves, and I pressed my lips together
nervously. “I didn’t mean—”
“Of course I make mistakes,” he said. His mouth curved into a half smile.
“Just not often.”
He raised his hood and offered me his hand to help me onto the horse. For a
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