“My chance at success in getting the Wyrdkey out of Rifthold lies in stealth as Celaena.”

   “Please,” he said.

   But she merely lifted her chin. “I am going, Rowan. I will gather the rest of my court—our court—­and then we will raise the greatest army the world has ever witnessed. I will call in every favor, every debt owed to Celaena Sardothien, to my parents, to my bloodline. And then . . .” She looked toward the sea, toward home. “And then I am going to rattle the stars.” She put her arms around him—­a promise. “Soon. I will send for you soon, when the time is right. Until then, try to make yourself useful.” He shook his head, but gripped her in a bone-­crushing embrace.

   He pulled back far enough to look at her. “Perhaps I’ll go help repair Mistward.”

   She nodded. “You never told me,” she said, “what you ­were praying to Mala for that morning before we entered Doranelle.”

   For a moment, it looked like he ­wouldn’t tell her. But then he quietly said, “I prayed for two things. I asked her to ensure you survived the encounter with Maeve—­to guide you and give you the strength you needed.”

   That strange, comforting warmth, that presence that had reassured her . . . the setting sun kissed her cheeks as if in confirmation, and a shiver went down her spine. “And the second?”

   “It was a selfish wish, and a fool’s hope.” She read the rest of it in his eyes. But it came true.

   “Dangerous, for a prince of ice and wind to pray to the Fire-­Bringer,” she managed to say.

   Rowan shrugged, a secret smile on his face as he wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek. “For some reason, Mala likes me, and agreed that you and I make a formidable pair.”

   But she didn’t want to know—­didn’t want to think about the Sun Goddess and her agenda as she flung herself on Rowan, breathing in his scent, memorizing the feel of him. The first member of her court—­the court that would change the world. The court that would rebuild it. Together.

   She boarded the boat as night fell, herded into the galley with the other passengers to keep them from learning the route through the reef. With little fuss they set sail, and when they ­were at last allowed out of the galley, she emerged onto the deck to find dark, open ocean around them. A white-tailed hawk still flew overhead, and it swooped low to brush its star-­silvered wing against her cheek in farewell before it turned back with a sharp cry.

   In the moonless light, she traced the scar on her palm, the oath to Nehemia.

   She would retrieve the first Wyrdkey from Arobynn and track down the others, and then find a way to put the Wyrdkeys back in their Gate. She would free magic and destroy the king and save her people. No matter the odds, no matter how long it took, no matter how far she had to go.

   She lifted her face to the stars. She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, heir of two mighty bloodlines, protector of a once-­glorious people, and Queen of Terrasen.

   She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius—­and she would not be afraid.

   Ac­know­ledg­ments

   This book would not exist without my friends. Especially my best friend, Jaeger copi­lot, and anam cara, Susan Dennard.

   It’s to her that I owe the biggest debt, for the entire days spent brainstorming and figuring out the right way to tell the story, for holding my hand as I walked down the dark paths of this book, for being the voice in my head telling me to keep going, keep going, keep going. There was no one ­else that this book could have been dedicated to; no one ­else who challenges and uplifts and inspires me so greatly. So, thank you, Soozyface, for being the kind of friend I was so sure didn’t exist in this world. Love you, dude.

   I also owe a huge debt to my brilliant and im­mensely talented friend Alex Bracken, for the genius feedback, for the bajillion-­page e-mails, and for being so, so incredibly supportive. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that our paths crossed all those years ago—­what an insane journey it’s been.

   And none of this would ever have happened without my lovely and badass agent, Tamar Rydzinski, who has been with me from the very beginning, and whose tireless work has made this series reality. I’m so honored to call you my agent, but even more honored to call you my friend.

   To the incredible worldwide team at Bloomsbury—­how can I ever fully convey what a joy it is to work with you all? Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do for me and Throne of Glass. To my editor, Margaret Miller—­this book would be a hot mess without you. To Cat Onder, Cindy Loh, and Rebecca McNally—­you guys are the absolute best. To Erica Barmash, Hali Baumstein, Emma Bradshaw, Kathleen Farrar, Cristina Gilbert, Courtney Griffin, Alice Grigg, Natalie Hamilton, Bridget Hartzler, Charli Haynes, Emma Hopkin, Linette Kim, Lizzy Mason, Jenna Pocius, Emily Ritter, Amanda Shipp, Grace Whooley, and Brett Wright: thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication.

   To the team at Audible and to the Throne of Glass audiobook narrator, Elizabeth Evans, thank you for making Celaena’s world come to life in a ­whole new way, and for giving her a voice. And thank you to Janet Cadsawan, whose beautiful Throne of Glass jewelry line continues to blow my mind.

   To the lovely Erin “Ders” Bowman, for the cheerleading and the unfailing encouragement, for the video chats, and the epic (non-­writing) retreats. Hero Squad Forever.

   To Mandy Hubbard, Dan Krokos, Biljana Likic, Kat Zhang, and the Publishing Crawl gang—­thanks so much for being some of the bright lights.

   To my parents—­my number-­one fans—­for the many adventures that so often serve as inspiration for these books. To my family, for the love and support, and for pushing this series on your friends and book clubs. Love you all. To my wonderful Grandma Connie—­I miss you and wish you ­were ­here to read this.

   To the readers who have picked up and championed this series—­words cannot express my gratitude. I am truly blessed to have you all as fans. You make the hard work worth it.

   To my dog, Annie: you ­can’t read (though it ­wouldn’t surprise me if you secretly could), but I want it written ­here—­for eternity—­that you’re the best canine companion anyone could hope for. Thanks for the cuddles, for sitting in my lap while I’m trying to write, and for giving me someone to talk to all day. Sorry I play the music so loudly when you’re trying to snooze. Love you, love you, love you forever and ever and ever.

   And to my husband, Josh: You get last billing ­here, but that’s because you’re first in my heart. I’ll never stop being grateful that I get to share this wild journey with you.

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