The Black Key (22 page)
Authors: Amy Ewing
“I've only ever seen ships like those in pictures,” Garnet says in awe. Ash has collapsed on the ground, staring out at the ocean with greedy eyes, as if he can't see enough of it. I sit beside him.
“I never thought I'd see it,” he says.
“Me neither.”
“But you have seen it.”
“Not like this.”
“It's incredible,” Raven says, wrapping an arm around
Garnet's waist as he kisses her temple.
The briny tang fills my nose, sharp and sweet all at once. The crash of the waves mixes with the wailing of the wind, and in it I hear something else, too, something that might be singing, in a strange language that I don't understand. It lifts my heart and makes me sad at the same time.
We are taking this island back,
I think, wondering if these ghosts of the Paladin can hear me, can understand my thoughts.
For you. For us.
The singing swells up around me before fading into the wind, the dying echo of a race that was nearly extinguished.
But survived.
We sit on the Great Wall and watch the sun sink lower toward the horizon. Ash's hand is warm around mine. I feel complete here. The rebellion, the royalty, the city itself all seem so far away. There is only the rich blue of the sky, the gentle bite of the wind, and the dim roar of the ocean. I look at my friends and think about who we all once were, and how far we have come.
I am Violet Lasting again.
I am home.
I
CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SERIES HAS COME TO AN END.
A
ND
it would not be what it is without the help of so many incredible people.
Karen Chaplin, my wonderful editor, thank you for your passion, your endless supply of wisdom, and your unwavering belief in me. Your guidance has made this story better than I ever thought possible, and I am eternally grateful for just how much you got me and this world and these characters.
Charlie Olsen, thank you for being a sounding board, a protector, a champion, and for believing in me even when I
didn't. I will hold all the doors for you, my friend.
To everyone at HarperTeen, especially Rosemary Brosnan, Olivia Russo, and Olivia Swomleyâyou are all wonderful, and I am so thankful to be in such capable hands. And massive hugs to Heather Daugherty, Erin Fitzsimmons, and the design team for yet another exquisite cover.
Huge thanks to everyone at Walker Books, particularly Gill Evans and Emily Damesick, for their brilliant editorial insight, and to Jack Noel for the wonderful UK cover.
Thanks to Lyndsey Blessing for being a master in all things foreign rights, and to everyone at Inkwell Management for their knowledge and support. And to Philippa Milnes-Smith for taking care of Violet so well across the pond.
Jess Verdi, I don't even want to think about how I would have survived this series without you. You were there for every word, every scream of frustration, every eureka moment. Thank you for always telling me to keep going and for always being there when I felt like I couldn't. I love you to pieces. Moonstone.
To my incredible betas Caela Carter, Alyson Gerber, and Corey Ann Hayduâyou guys are quite simply the best. Thank you for all your wisdom and enthusiasm.
Riddhi Parekh, friend of friends, thank you for all the hugs, flowers, roosters, wise words, patio laughs, and for just being an amazing person.
So many incredible friends have supported me on this journeyâMatthew Kelly, Erica Henegen, Jill Santopolo, Lindsay Ribar, Alison Cherry, Mindy Raf, Rory Sheridan, Jonathan Levy, Tori Healy, Maura Smith, Mike Hanna,
Melissa Kavonic, Ali Imperato, Carly Petrone, Shilpa Ahluwalia, Nina Ibanez, Marissa Wolf, and Jared Wilder, thank you all so much. I value your friendship more than you know. I wish I could give each of you a palace.
My family has been a bottomless well of support throughout the years. Thank you to both Ewings and McLellansâJean and Dave, Don and Sandy, Tim, Sadie and Reed, Craig and Vicki, Sam and Sophie, Jennifer, Jonathan, Martha, and Mike. Enormous hugs to Kristen and Molly. As always, extra special thanks to Ben, Leah, Otto, and Bea.
To my parents, who every day remind me of the power of following your dreams. Thank you for believing in me, for trusting me, and for helping me become the person I am.
And to Faetra. I wish you could see your name on the dedication page. I wish you could have seen this story go from those few chapters I emailed you to these three actual, real live books. I wish for so many things that will never happen. But as E. E. Cummings said, “I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).” You will be in my heart forever.
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AMY EWING
earned her MFA in Writing for Children at the New School and received her BFA at New York University.
The Jewel
started off as a thesis project but became her debut novel. The second novel in the trilogy is
The White Rose.
She lives in New York City. Visit Amy online at
www.amyewingbooks.com
or on Twitter @AmyEwingBooks.
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Digital Novellas
Photograph of girl © 2016 by Michael Frost
Photo illustration of girl and stone © 2016 by Colin Anderson
Cover design by Ellice M. Lee
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE BLACK KEY
. Copyright © 2016 by Amy Ewing. 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.
ISBN 978-0-06-223584-8 (trade bdg.)
ISBN 978-0-06-256581-5 (int. ed.)
EPub Edition © September 2016 ISBN 9780062235862
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FIRST EDITION
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