Ramson was right. This wasn’t a fairy-tale story where the good triumphed in the end. There were real people suffering in her empire right now, in the shadows of the laws that claimed to protect them. There was evil and darkness here—oppressors and those who perpetuated violence with hatred and greed in their hearts.
But there was also the good; there was the light of this world that came in shattered, piercing fragments, whether it was a small earth Affinite making flowers out of barren soil, or a fire Affinite’s secret chokolad treats, or a wind Affinite tilting her face to the skies, telling her that there was something worth saving—in her and in this world.
This world—this beautiful broken world that harbored so much of the gray—was the only one they had. And it was one she would continue to fight for.
But first, she had to prove to her people that she was worthy of being their leader. That, no matter her title, she would not stand by and watch innocents die under a regime of terror. That, in her flesh and bones and soul, she was Anastacya Kateryanna Mikhailov, blood heir of the Cyrilian Empire.
Affinite: person with a special ability or a connection to physical or metaphysical elements; ranges from a heightened sense of the element to ability to manipulate or generate the element
blackstone: stone mined from the Krazyast Triangle; the single element immune to Affinite manipulation and known to diminish or block Affinities
bratika: brother
chokolad: cocoa-based sweet
contessya: countess
copperstone: lowest-value coin
dacha: house
dama: lady
deimhov: demon
Deys: Deity
Deys’voshk: poison that effects Affinites and is used to subdue them; also known as Deities’ Water
Fyrva’snezh: First Snows
goldleaf: highest-value coin
guzhkyn gerbil: pet rodent from the Guzhkyn region in southern Cyrilia
Imperator: Emperor
Imperatorya: Empress
Imperya: Empire
kapitan: captain
kechyan: traditional Cyrilian robe typically made of patterned silk
kologne: scented perfume
kolst: glorious
kommertsya: commerce
konsultant: consultant
mamika: “little mother”; term of endearment for “aunt”
mesyr: mister
pelmeny: dumplings with fillings of minced meat, onions, and herbs
pirozhky: fried pie with sweet or savory fillings
pryntsessa: princess
ptychy’moloko: bird’s milk cake
Redcloak: rebels; a play on the colloquialism “Whitecloak”
silverleaf: medium-value coin
sistrika: sister
sunwine: mulled wine made in the summer with honey and spice
valkryf: breed of horse; a valuable steed with split toes and an incomparable ability to climb mountains and weather cold temperatures
varyshki: expensive bull leather
Vyntr’makt: winter market; outdoor markets usually established in town squares prior to the arrival of winter
Whitecloak: colloquialism for “Imperial Patrol”
yaeger: rare Affinite whose connection is to another person’s Affinity; they can sense Affinites and control one’s Affinity
I began learning the English language at the age of seven, when I was plucked from my birth town of Paris and dropped into an American international school in the dusty gray city of 1990s Beijing. I’ve come a ways since that first day, when I was lost and the words that my teachers and classmates spoke flowed over my head like water, out of my reach.
Books changed everything for me, transporting me to a hundred different worlds within their pages, allowing me to live a thousand different lives. I began reading in earnest, and slowly, with each turn of a page, a dream began to form. I wanted to be an author; I wanted to shape the worlds and change lives with the power of my words. Today I’d like to express my profound gratitude to every person who has touched my life in this process and shaped this book—you have all made my dream.
To my wonderful agent, Peter Knapp, who pulled me through the doors and set me on this incredible journey, and continues to be a champion in every way. Thank you for changing my life on that dreary gray November morning in Beijing.
To my incredible editor, Krista Marino, whose razor-sharp mind and pen have caught all the plot holes and fashion faux pas in this book—I am so blessed to be working with you. You continue to push me with every revision to make this book into the best version of itself. I’m (selfishly) glad you missed your flight to Paris last December and I got to have that second call with you.
To Delacorte Press—visionary publisher Beverly Horowitz and assistant editor extraordinaire Monica Jean, publishers Barbara Marcus and Judith Haut, and the entire team at Random House Children’s Books, who have already made me feel like a part of this giant, amazing family: Felicia Frazier and Mark Santella in sales; Angela Carlino, Alison Impey, Ray Shappell, Regina Flath, and Ken Crossland in design; fearless copyeditors Colleen Fellingham and Alison Kolani and managing editor Tamar Schwartz (who will