Infinite
By Jodi Meadows
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
The stunning conclusion to the Incarnate trilogy, a fantasy about a girl who is the first new soul born into a society where everyone else has been reborn hundreds of times. From the New York Times bestselling coauthor of My Plain Jane.
Ana knows that soon life in Heart will be at risk, so she escapes with her friends, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan's ascension and keep the other Newsouls safe. But only she knows the true cost of reincarnation and the dangers she'll encounter if she returns to stop Janan once and for all.
Romantic and action-filled, the rich world of Infinite is perfect for fans of epic fantasies like Graceling by Kristin Cashore and The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, and Ana's courage to expose the cracks in society and fight for what is right is ideal for fans of dystopian novels.
Jodi Meadows
The Lady Janies are made up of New York Times bestselling authors Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. They first met in 2012, when their publishers sent them on a book tour together, and they hit it off so well they decided to write My Lady Jane so they could go on book tours together all the time. Between the three of them they’ve written more than twenty published novels, a bunch of novellas, a handful of short stories, and a couple of really bad poems. They’re friends. They’re writers. They’re fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time. Learn more at ladyjanies.com.
Read more from Jodi Meadows
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Reviews for Infinite
71 ratings9 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be an awesome ending to the story. They enjoyed the book and found it suspenseful with good pacing and believable twists. The romance in the book was also well-maintained. Although some readers wished for a more drawn-out ending and an epilogue, overall they were satisfied with how everything played out. Even readers who were not the target age for the book still enjoyed it and read all three books in the series in just two days.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Very good ending, if you've read the other 2 they are going to match perfectly.❣️❣️❣️❣️?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is awesome! I was able to talk about the book after I read it. You did well! ... If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to [email protected] or [email protected]
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5good book with just enough suspense:) liked it very much.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It is so very sad. I went into this series madly, passionately in love with book one, recommended by a best friend who said this series read to her the way I wrote, and i fell hook, line, sinker into this series, but which each book or novella stepping away from book one it was gotten more convenient and more problematic, and this one was no better.
Well, okay. Honesty time. This was better than the eye gouging terribleness of Phoenix Symphony, but it was only really that. I could read this one without feeling it was dragging (mostly because I was reading it through an incredibly depressing, feeling let down by everyone and everything weekend in my life) so it was an upstep from reality. But everything Ana does is too convenient. Being able to talk to everyone, figuring out everything on her own.
I do appreciate that Meadows made sacrifices of characters along the way -- even though I predicted who was dying when easily, and I predicted the big curtain draw back the moment the cage first rolled into town. I did not predict the end of the book proper, which did surprise me a little. And it's probably part of why there's 2 stars and not three. i can appreciate the last moment of Ana's life being a choice that was both wholly selfish and selfless all at once.
That said....the epilogue made me want to throw this book down an arena to never touch it again.
It ruined everything about reincarnation that first book put together correctly. It ruined everything about the sacrifices made in the book. You turned the page and everyone was alive, at the same time, at the same place, at relatively the same ages, and all was good with the world. Like they'd all been born at once and never had an issues finding or forgiving each other, or making their life back exactly to what it was in the book half a book ago. There were no weird time mismatches or changes to them. And that was to the way too convenient straw that broke everything. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5awesome ending to this story
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm so sad it's over! I really, really enjoyed this series. It was everything I was hoping for. Everything came together in this final book with good pacing, believable twists, and the romance maintained its heat (which is impressive). My favorite book is still the second I think... but I felt satisfied with how everything played out. I only wish the ending had been a little more drawn out to give the reader time to recover from the climax before its end - an epilogue would have been really fantastic for reasons I won't spoil further. I'm not even the target age for this book, I'm a little past it, but I enjoyed it so much I read all three in two days.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a quick, easy read. I was really fascinated with the way that the fantasy elements unfolded throughout the series. The romance was nice too and I thought it came to a good "happily ever after" sort of end.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was sent Infinite by Harper Teen and was so glad! I'd wanted to read it and requested it because I enjoyed the first two in the series, and I wanted to know what would happen with Ana and Sam. It is so hard to review a series that you've enjoyed, especially the last book. There is so much that I want to say but I want no spoilers and also, it is hard because it takes a while to really process, and I normally like to write my reviews right after so that everything is fresh in my mind. I have such a feeling of excitement going in because it is back with characters, plots, music and a love story that I have invested my time and emotions in. But on the other hand, there is sadness, because I knew that my time with Ana and Sam was limited in pages. I've been invested in Ana since day one, and I really connected with her. She is courageous, brave and inquisitive. She has self doubts and issues from her past which helps me to relate with her even more, because I've seen those things in myself. But I really admire how she works through her doubts, and she incorporates how much Sam and the others who believe in her and are her friends into how she sees herself, and that is awesome. She has grown so much, but in this one, still finds things that she needs to continue to develop, especially working through selfishness and realizing communication is still important even when division or strife is there. I've loved the sweet, trusting and steamy romance between Sam and Ana for quite a while. We get lots of that in this book, as well as them learning more about each other and progressing. They aren't without their trials though, because Ana has been keeping a secret from Sam, and it really does some distance and damage in this one. It was so hard when they were apart and not as close as they'd been, although I def understand Sam's hurt. I understood too why Ana kept it from him, she was just trying to protect him, but she should have learned from the ordeals with trust they'd dealt with in the past. The answers begin slowly trickling in as Infinite, the last of the trilogy progresses, and Ana gets help from all sorts of unexpected places. The pacing is good, revealing things at the right times, not overwhelming but still keeping everything moving. The costs were high in order to keep going with their mission to stop Janan, which made this book very emotional. The characters all grieved and processed things in their own way, which is true of people in the real world not only the bookish, so I was glad that was well written. It wrapped up well, and I was pleased with the ending. Though I will say that I am a bit confused at a few of the details and exactly what that means for the characters, but the last page made those questions not as important because of the ending and what it means for the characters and things they'd promised and hoped for, not only for their lives but for each other. Bottom Line: Good series ending, lots of action, hardship, romance and character growth.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the third and final book in the Incarnate series. I enjoyed the way everything was wrapped up and think fans of the series will be pretty pleased with how the series ends. I felt like the very end was a bit rushed, but other than that I enjoyed how the world was expanded some.The Year of Souls is beginning and the caldera in Range is threatening to erupt. Janan is set to ascend on Soul Night and Ana knows that if they don’t stop him the city of Heart will not survive. Ana convinces her closest friends and the other New Souls of Heart to leave Heart and try to find new allies to stop Janan’s ascension. This was a nice wrap up to this series. While I didn't like it as much as the first and second books in the series, I still thought it did a good job of wrapping things up. The pacing was a bit inconsistent at times. I thought the beginning was a bit slow, then as they traveled it felt a bit rushed, then slowed again in the second half, then the ending felt a bit rushed as well.Ana is armed by the knowledge she learned in Janan’s Tower and knows the cost of reincarnation. Now she has to decide whether or not to tell her companions, especially Sam. She also knows that even though they don’t remember it now they accepted that cost at the time. She knows how much this will devastate her friends and is afraid what they will choose, eternal reincarnation or a life that you can only live once.Ana makes some mistakes in this book, the biggest one is not being honest with her friends. However, she has also grown a ton as a character throughout the series. She has a new found confidence and the determination to do things no one ever thought was possible before.Sam was a bit irritating in this book. He gets angry at Ana because of her secrets early on. He was not understanding, just bitter and it wasn’t much fun to read about. Honestly this book made me like Sam a lot less. He basically is making Ana suffer for his mistakes for a large portion of the book.All of Ana’s other friends are just as interesting and engaging as in the previous books. None of them really stood out as being super engaging, but they did have some depth to them.My favorite parts were where our characters met with some of the other magical creatures in this world, mainly centaurs, dragons, and phoenixs. We learn a lot more about the Shades and the Dragons both. There are some pretty awesome scenes between Ana and the Centaurs and Ana and the Dragons. This added a lot to the book for me. We also learn the history behind why Janan was originally locked in his tower and what the Phoenix has to do with it all. Still by the end of the series I was left wanting to know more behind the why and how of how this world came to be how it is in this series.The book is well written and flows well. Things are tied up nicely, but I felt like it was a bit rushed...so much happens right at the end of the book. I did enjoy the ending I just wish it had been paced a bit better.Overall it was a good wrap-up to the series and I think fans of the series will enjoy it. The characters are engaging but not awe inspiring, however I really love this world and loved that we got to spend more time learning about the non-human creatures in it. I also enjoyed the themes of reincarnation and the toll this takes on a society. Recommended to those who enjoy YA fantasy with dystopian overtones to it.
Book preview
Infinite - Jodi Meadows
1
ENDINGS
MY DEATH WOULD not be another beginning.
For millennia in Range, death meant another rebirth. Another life. Then someone died the night the temple went dark, and I was born in their place.
A nosoul. A newsoul. A soul asunder.
I was a mystery others sought to control, a frightening creature that made the world reconsider what it knew of life and death and what happened after. But I was only one. I could be desperately ignored as a mystery, a mistake that would never be repeated.
Then my father devised another Templedark, and for dozens of oldsouls, it was their final death. Violent. Terrifying. Inescapable.
Within the year, newsouls were born and the world mourned darksouls even more fiercely, never realizing the sinister truth about reincarnation. They had thought rebirth was natural, but the opposite was true: while oldsouls lived and died and lived again, millions of newsouls were consumed by the very entity that provided reincarnation.
Janan. The Devourer. The once-human who had reached too high and who would soon burn the world.
And then, there would be nothing left but endings.
Midnight struck.
The Year of Souls began with a thunderous crash and rumble from deep within the earth.
"What is that?" My voice sounded hollow in the parlor, the floor still littered with the remnants of destroyed instruments and tattered rose petals. Light from the kitchen bathed a square of the dusty hardwood floor, but otherwise, the room was dim with night. We’d awakened only a few minutes ago, having dozed on the sofa after friends left last evening.
Across the parlor, Sam tilted his head and listened. Black hair shadowed his eyes as he searched his memory for the strange crash and rumble.
The floor swayed under our feet. I yelped and braced myself against the wall. Janan’s heartbeat thudded under my fingertips.
I dropped to my hands and knees, spreading out my weight for balance. What’s happening?
Panic pitched my voice high and thin.
Sam staggered toward me, unsteady on the shifting floor. It’s an earthquake. Don’t worry. It will pass.
Decorations rattled on the honeycomb shelves that divided the parlor and kitchen. Obsidian figurines danced and dove off the edges of their shelves. Wood and stone and glass thudded to the floor, crashed or rolled or shattered as they struck. Even the shredded rose petals swirled.
The shaking slowed, but it wasn’t over. The world jerked again and hurled everything sideways. Furniture crashed upstairs. Trees snapped outside. The whole earth roared. I screamed as the hand-carved shelves cracked and splintered all around the room.
Sam stumbled and dropped, just out of my reach. Surprise and pain flared across his face as he clutched his hand to his chest, keeping his fist closed. His gray nightshirt darkened with seeping blood.
Sam!
I crawled toward him, fighting the moving floor. What happened to your hand?
Even as the question left my mouth, I spotted the glass near him, stained with crimson and glistening blood.
Nothing. It’s fine.
The world steadied and he sat back on his heels, trapping his injured hand in his good one. That wasn’t so bad.
His idea of bad must have been the whole world rattling apart. And now the earth’s silence stretched through the house, heavy and alive. Waiting.
Not trusting the floor to stay put, I sat up and scooted toward Sam, giving the glass a wide berth.
A couple of weeks ago, Councilor Deborl and his friends had come through and smashed all the instruments in Sam’s parlor. The piano, harpsichord, cello, and even the smaller instruments locked inside protective cases. Only the instruments upstairs had been spared, including my flute. It had been in the workroom, waiting on a small repair. Only chance had saved it.
I’d cleaned up most of that destruction right away. What remained on the floor had been pieces that might one day be useful again, as well as dried rose petals left over from a party with our friends.
But now, the parlor was more of a wreck than Deborl ever could have left it.
Shelves hung at odd angles, leaving books and boxes and bits of decorations scattered everywhere. The shelves looked like teeth, ready to bite down.
A lamp had fallen, leaving a glittering river of glass. We were lucky the light hadn’t caught fire. Who knew what the kitchen looked like, or the upstairs, or the outbuildings. There’d been so much crashing and thumping; anything could have happened.
Is your hand okay?
I crouched next to Sam and pried his fist away from his chest.
It’s fine.
A lie. His hand trembled in mine, and his skin was slick with blood. It was hard to see under the red smears, but it looked as if the glass had shredded his palm and fingers.
We need to get this cleaned up. Hold still.
Sam nodded and braced himself while I picked out bit after bit of glass until my fingertips ached, but I couldn’t find anything more. Cleaning the wound would help, but first I needed to stop the bleeding.
This might hurt.
It already hurts.
Sam’s voice was rough.
I wanted to say something reassuring, but I didn’t know near enough about what had been damaged to make promises. If it looked bad after we rinsed the blood, I’d call Rin, the medic. For now, I grabbed a big shard of glass and sliced off a length of my nightgown to make a bandage, then wrapped the length of cloth around his hand as many times as it would go. Hold on to it. Keep pressure.
My hand will be fine.
The words came out hard, like commands. Like he could will the cuts to heal.
Let’s go upstairs and get it properly bandaged. It didn’t sound like any of the support beams broke, so the stairs should be safe.
Hopefully the water lines were intact, too. The lights and everything else seemed all right. That was something.
I started to stand just as the earth jumped and an explosion sounded in the west. Not another earthquake. Something else.
Sam and I scrambled to our feet, careful of the glass as we hurried to the front door. I slipped into the night, icy air stinging my face. Can you see anything?
I asked.
Sam shook his head. No, but it sounded like an eruption.
Not the caldera.
The Range caldera was enormous, stretching in all directions with the city of Heart at its center. If the caldera erupted, there’d be nothing left of Heart.
Not the caldera,
Sam agreed. He put his arm around my shoulders, holding me close against the chill. A hydrothermal eruption. Like a geyser, but bigger.
How much bigger?
I peered into the night, but clouds obscured moonlight. Even if there’d been enough light to see by, the city wall blocked the horizon completely. The eruption had been outside the city, but it could have been just beyond the wall. There were geysers everywhere.
Depends. Sometimes much bigger. They’re a response to a pressure change underground.
Pattering sounds filled the trees and yard, tapping on the house in a strange rhythm. A pebble fell from the sky and hit my head.
With his good hand, Sam took my elbow and drew me toward the house. Hydrothermal eruptions take rocks and trees with them sometimes, but they don’t happen very often. I’ve seen only two of them, and they were a long time ago.
As he spoke, a second eruption thundered in the north, and a third in the southwest. The world came alive with tapping, hissing, clattering. Animals grunted and darted through the evergreen trees. Birds squawked and took wing, but there was nowhere safe to fly. Earth rained from the sky as though the world had turned upside down.
Inside.
Sam’s voice hardened as more bits of stone pattered against the walls of the house. Inside now.
How is this possible?
As we turned for the door, a flash of light caught my eye.
In the center of the city, Janan’s temple shone incandescent.
2
INTRUSION
THE FRONT DOOR slammed behind me, muting the quiet cacophony of the world falling apart. I hugged myself as Sam moved into the shadows, away from the light of the kitchen. Did you see the temple?
he asked. I’ve never seen it so bright.
I saw.
Do you think it’s Janan’s doing?
He leaned on the wall, head dropped as he clutched his hand to his chest. The earthquake? The eruptions?
It seems likely.
I eased into the shadows with him, resting my cheek on his shoulder. His arms circled my waist. My chest and stomach pressed against his, only our nightclothes separating us. I’m afraid,
I whispered. It was easier to be honest when he was holding me, and when we stood in the dark.
He rested his cheek on top of my head. Me too.
If the caldera is going to do this a lot from now on, maybe the Council exiling me isn’t such a bad thing. It’s probably smart to get away from Range. I’m glad you’re coming with me.
I’ll always go anywhere with you.
We stood together for a while, listening to each other’s heartbeats and the patter of debris on the house. I touched only Sam, avoiding the white exterior wall even more now that Janan’s pulse was stronger.
Let’s go upstairs and get this fixed.
I straightened and cradled his hurt hand in both of mine. The strip of my nightgown was soaked with blood.
He nodded and allowed me to guide him upstairs. We took the steps slowly, testing the wood before trusting our weight to it. The exterior of the house would be fine after the earthquake—Janan would never allow the white stone to be damaged while he was awake—but the interiors of the houses were all of human construction.
But the stairs were well enough. None of the support beams had snapped.
His bedroom was cool and dark. Shapes hunched within the shadows: a warm bed, a wardrobe, and a large harp. We made our way into the washroom, and I flicked on the light. Both of us squinted in the white glare. Sit,
I ordered.
He leaned and scooted onto the counter while I closed the door and turned the shower knobs, water as hot and strong as it would go. A sly smile tugged at the corners of Sam’s mouth. Ana, I’m not sure this is the best time, but if you’d like to—
Shut up.
A relieved grin slipped out. If he could joke, he would be fine. The steam will help loosen the glass, if there’s any left.
That’s less fun.
He pretended to pout as he unwrapped his hand and rinsed the blood away in the sink. I found bandages and ointment, and together we picked out the last slivers of glass while steam billowed from the shower. The mirror fogged, and the pounding water on the tub drowned out the sound of the world beyond the room.
This doesn’t look too bad,
I said, spreading ointment over his fingers. Most of the cuts were superficial.
Told you.
He held still while I wrapped his hand in clean bandages. And it’s my left hand, which is a relief because I write with my right.
The shower made his voice deeper and fuller. I’ll get along fine until my left recovers. And I don’t need either hand to kiss you.
With a quiet gasp, I dropped the roll of bandage tape. We should test that claim. I seem to remember you using your hands quite a bit when you kiss me.
Hmm.
He slid off the counter. Perhaps this does deserve some experimenting.
He closed the short space between us and smoothed a strand of hair off my face. Oh,
he murmured, you’re right. There’s one.
I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His lips were warm and soft from the steam filling the room.
Two,
he said, curling one arm around my waist to pull me close. Lips breezed over my cheek and neck. Three.
With his good hand, he nudged my nightgown off my shoulder and kissed bare skin, then trailed his fingertips down my arm. His touch ignited sparks that traveled all the way to my stomach. My breath fluttered. You’re very right.
His lips grazed my collarbone. I use my hands all the time when I kiss you.
I would have melted if he hadn’t been holding me up. The steam, his touch, his kiss: they made me light-headed and giddy, in spite of everything that had happened not an hour ago. Safe in his arms, with only the sound of the shower running, I could forget about the outside world and the rest of our problems.
Do you remember what we talked about last night?
I kissed his ear, his cheek.
Sam gave a low rumble of assent. You said you love me.
I did say that, didn’t I?
Pleasure poured through me. After years of believing I wasn’t deserving of love, Sam had shown me I was. But that was different from accepting I could love others. Wrestling those feelings had been difficult, but last night, I’d said it, and it turned out that I’d loved him all along. Guess what?
He pulled away and met my eyes.
I still love you today.
His smile grew wide and warm.
I heard a rumor,
I went on, that the first day of the new year is your birthday.
Did you?
He suddenly looked shy.
When we first met, you told me we shared a birthday.
Did I?
Panic flickered across his face, and his cheeks darkened. I did. Oh.
I kept my face as serious as I could manage, though laughter gathered in my chest and I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling. So?
I lifted an eyebrow.
His whole face was dark with embarrassment. Would you believe I forgot when my birthday is?
I snorted and laughed. That was exactly what I thought he’d say, because when I looked back on that day, I remembered the hesitation and momentary confusion before he declared we had the same birthday. He had forgotten. "It’s all right. I love you on your real birthday and on your fake birthday. And all the other days."
He grinned, relaxing. There’s nothing more we can do tonight. Would you—
He seemed to fumble for the right words. Would you like to sleep here with me? In my room, I mean. Not the washroom.
The mess would still be downstairs in the morning, and his bedroom had appeared relatively unharmed when we passed through. We could take care of everything else in the morning. Or not. Yesterday, the ruling Council had exiled me from Heart, and Sam was leaving with me. Soon, we’d be on our way east. We didn’t have to clean the house.
We could put off real life until dawn.
If you steal all the blankets, you’ll be sorry.
I reached inside the shower and turned off the spray. After dealing with the Council, visiting friends who’d come to express their outrage, and then the earthquake and eruptions, curling up with Sam was the most appealing thing I could think of.
The shower dripped for a moment longer, and then the house was silent. Maybe the debris had stopped falling outside. The whole world was still, and quiet, and waiting.
I felt behind me for the doorknob and pushed the washroom door open. Soon, everything would be perfect, if only for a few hours.
Sam’s smile fell away. A question formed in my mouth, but he grabbed my wrist, yanked, and spun me so I stood behind him. What are you doing here?
he growled. He reached behind him with his good hand, palm on my hip as though to keep me in place.
My heart raced at his sudden shift. I peeked around him.
A stranger stood in Sam’s bedroom, clutching a long knife. He wore a filthy coat that hung to his ankles, but even in the dim light and with the heavy layer of fabric, I couldn’t miss the bulge of another weapon on his hip when he faced us.
Dossam. Nosoul.
His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. We were hoping you’d been crushed to death.
We?
I twisted my hand in Sam’s shirt, desperately wishing I were wearing something more serious than my nightgown as I stepped out from behind him. I didn’t need a shield. You’re one of Deborl’s friends.
And you were in prison,
Sam said. With Deborl and Merton.
The stranger showed teeth when he smiled. Janan used the earthquake to free us.
He pulled back his coat, revealing a laser pistol tucked into his waistband. We have a calling.
Mat, no.
Sam tried to step in front of me again, but I jabbed my elbow into his side. Why would you do this?
The stranger—Mat—leveled his gaze on Sam, apparently unworried about our escape. We were trapped in the washroom, after all. "She’s an abomination. They all are. The plague of newsouls must be stopped."
We were trapped in the washroom.
I stepped back, letting Sam block the doorway. Newsouls are the natural order of things,
he began. Other animals are born, live, and die forever. Haven’t you considered that what we do is unnatural?
They’re an offense to Janan. He created us. He gave us immortality. And soon he’ll return to reward the faithful. He’ll ascend. The faithful will ascend with him.
Meuric hadn’t thought so. He’d been convinced he needed the temple key to survive Soul Night.
I tuned out Mat’s arguments as I considered the items in Sam’s washroom. Shampoo, soap, painkillers. I wished for my SED—then I could call for help—but both our SEDs were downstairs.
Ana’s done nothing to you,
Sam said. Nor have the other newsouls.
Gauze. Painkillers. Ointment for cuts and burns. If my nightgown had pockets, I would have grabbed those, because the plan budding in my head involved going outside.
They were born,
Mat said. "They replaced oldsouls. Real souls. They take what isn’t theirs. Life. Keys."
Mat’s identity snapped into place. He was the man who’d attacked me when I’d stumbled out of the temple. He’d stolen the temple key from me and given it to Deborl.
This must come to an end. I’m sorry, Dossam. I have no quarrel with you, but Ana has to die.
Cleaning powder. I snatched the can and unscrewed the lid just as Mat pushed past Sam and aimed his laser pistol. The blue targeting light flashed—
With a shout, I hurled the powder at Mat’s face. Sam shoved Mat into the counter as the man screamed and his eyes watered. White particles floated in the air, glowing bright blue as the targeting light on the pistol shone. Air sizzled and a hole appeared in the ceiling; Mat was too busy clawing at his eyes to pay attention.
Sam grabbed Mat’s collar and slammed the man’s head on the stone counter. A wet crack sounded and the copper odor of blood filled the space, but I didn’t have time to see if he would live. I grabbed the pistol and fled the washroom with Sam.
We raced downstairs, pausing only to get our SEDs and shoes before we ran outside in our bare feet, carrying our belongings into the dark.
Stay quiet.
Sam’s voice was low, all warning. There may be more.
Shivering with fear and shock, I let Sam guide me. He could navigate Heart blindfolded, but I needed a light, which we didn’t have and couldn’t use even if we did.
We slowed as the cold settled in and the sharp debris on the ground stabbed our feet. Here.
Sam turned us toward a patch of black on black. Trees. Pine needles pricked at my feet and shudders racked my body. I could hardly breathe around the cold and adrenaline. Put your shoes on,
he whispered. His hand fell from mine, and I realized I’d been squeezing it tightly from fear. It was his left hand, his hurt hand. He hadn’t made a sound about it.
I crouched, shoving my feet into my shoes as quickly as I could, straining my senses to hear footfalls from more intruders. But all I could hear was my pulse in my ears. Was Mat dead? Were there others? Deborl had more friends than Mat, so where were they?
Do you need help with your shoes?
I asked.
I’ve got them.
His voice was rough, from pain or cold or something else, I couldn’t tell. Get your things.
I scooped up my SED and the pistol I’d stolen and followed Sam through the darkness, keeping hold of his shoulder. How soon before someone found Mat in Sam’s washroom?
Was he dead? Had Sam killed him?
My thoughts spun as we crept through the trees. Our shoes made more noise than bare feet, but the risk of stepping on something was too great. Already, my body ached with chill.
Light shone beyond the trees, a pale and fractured glow. We’d reached Stef’s house.
Wait,
I hissed, and squeezed Sam’s shoulder. His profile flashed against the light as he turned his head. What if they sent someone to watch her?
Ah.
He retreated into the trees and knelt, then fumbled with his SED. I can’t—It will take me too long to type a message with my hand like this.
I’ll do it.
I sank to the ground, shivering in my thin nightgown, and sent a quick message to Stef.
Mat attacked us. Deborl and Merton have escaped prison. We’re outside your house, but afraid it’s being watched. Call Lidea and Geral. Warn them. Meet us in the library with other trusted friends. Please bring us clothes.
Sam read the message over my shoulder. The library?
Even if they look for us there, we’ll be able to hide. Plus, I think there’s something I need to say to all our friends.
Will you tell me what it is now, or do I have to wait?
I lifted my eyes as a light flickered on upstairs in Stef’s house. If Janan is responsible for the earthquake and eruptions, it will only get worse. They deserve to know, and a chance to get away while there’s still time.
Sam caressed my shoulder, my spine. Good. They deserve to know.
He went rigid as a shadow moved across Stef’s yard. Stay here.
He grabbed the laser pistol and crept away. A second later, blue light flashed and the shadow crumpled. Dead or not, the person didn’t move as Sam darted across the yard and seized something—a second laser pistol.
I sent another message to Stef, updating her. She wrote back immediately.
Go to the library. I have a plan.
After a quick acknowledgment, I doused the light on my SED. Sam was back.
Is he dead?
I asked. But maybe I didn’t want to know.
He just handed me the second pistol.
Let’s go.
I didn’t have a waistband or pocket to hold my SED and the pistol, so they stayed in my hands.
Okay.
Sam looked up, not at Stef’s house, but at the blaze toward the center of the city: the temple shone like a torch. We can’t go any of my normal ways. If Deborl has anyone on patrol, they’ll be watching for us. Surely Mat was supposed to check in by now.
I agree. So we creep through the trees in the dark?
He frowned as he hefted his pistol. We don’t have much choice. Are you ready?
I stood and linked my arm with his. I’d go anywhere with you, Dossam.
3
WORLDS
WE REACHED THE market field an hour later. Sam hadn’t wanted to go in a straight line from our house to the center of Heart, thinking that was a good way to get caught, so we sneaked around in the cold, doubling back on our path a couple of times before we finally reached the wide expanse of cobblestone at the middle of the city. Debris from the earthquake and eruptions littered the ground. Cobblestones had buckled and broken.
The four main avenues probably didn’t look much better, but Sam hadn’t been willing to use them—or even get near them until we had no choice. Hopefully the roads weren’t completely destroyed; we had to leave Heart soon.
I still couldn’t believe I’d been exiled. By all accounts, that was a death sentence. The world beyond Range was incredibly dangerous, filled with all kinds of creatures.
Though maybe Heart was just as dangerous now.
The temple flooded the market field with brilliant light. How many souls did it take to make the temple that bright? At least a hundred million.
Next to the temple, fused with it in some places, the Councilhouse stood immense and regal. Janan had built the Councilhouse before everyone arrived in Heart, as he had all the houses, but the columns and relief, which stood in shadow now, had been added later. I could just see the statues around the market field, all pockmarked from battles and age. The field was empty, but in the mornings and afternoons, it bustled with groups of friends, opportunistic sellers, and people simply wanting the sound of other voices. Once a month, colorful tents filled the space for the market; it was one of my favorite times, though newsoul-haters made it hard for me to do any shopping on my own.
Too much open space,
Sam muttered, shivering in the winter wind. Make sure your pistol is on.
I checked the switch and nodded. Give me your SED.
I clutched both SEDs in my left hand, leaving us free to fire our pistols unhindered. Still, I hoped I didn’t have to use mine. That man back at Stef’s house. Did you kill him?
Sam’s eyes were shadowed. Would it make you think any differently of me?
Reincarnation made it almost pointless to kill someone. They would just be reborn, and they would seek vengeance. No one liked dying, because it hurt, and whatever you were doing—romances, projects, or exploring—had to pause while you waited to be reborn, and then waited to grow up. But they always came back, at least until recently.
According to our friend Cris, when Janan ascended, he wouldn’t bother reincarnating people. That meant with only three months until Janan’s ascension, death would be death. No one who died now would be reincarnated; there was no time for them to be reborn. If Mat was dead in the washroom, he was dead forever.
As far as thinking differently of Sam, though? No,
I whispered. My whole body quaked with cold. I know you’re protecting me.
I would do anything to protect you.
He kissed my cheek. Let’s go.
Together, we crossed the market field, scanning all directions for movement. The temple burned so brightly, and the space was so wide and empty. Crossing here felt like asking for someone to shoot us.
But we made our way across the rubble-strewn field, and nothing happened. No attacks, no earthquakes. Our shoes crunched and wind hissed along the streets, but otherwise the world was silent.
At the library entrance, Sam tucked his pistol under his left elbow, then hauled open the door. With one last look over my shoulder—the field remained empty—I ducked under Sam’s arm and