Спасибо моим читателям за то, что присоединились ко мне во второй книге этой серии. Я так рада, что вы здесь. Надеюсь, это было не слишком травматично.
И наконец, спасибо Асами, которая была писательской кошкой до мозга костей и сидела со мной каждую ночь, пока я работала над этой книгой. Надеюсь, тебе тепло и безопасно в огромной кошачьей корзине на небе.
Discover Your Next Great Read
Get sneak peeks, book recommendations, and news about your favorite authors.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Ahiranyi
Amina — Scribe
Anil — Villager
Ashok — Rebel against Parijatdvipan rule, temple son, deceased
Bhumika — Temple elder, ruler of Ahiranya
Billu — Cook in the household of the regent of Ahiranya
Bojal — Temple elder, deceased
Chandni — Temple elder, deceased
Dhiren — Villager, rot sufferer
Ganam — Mask-keeper, once-born, ex-rebel against Parijatdvipan rule
Jeevan — Captain of the guard to the elders of Ahiranya
Karan — Ahiranyi soldier
Khalida — Maidservant to Lady Bhumika
Kritika — Mask-keeper, ex-rebel against Parijatdvipan rule
Mani Ara — Yaksa
Nandi — Temple son, deceased
Nitin — Ahiranyi soldier
Padma — Daughter of Bhumika
Priya — Temple elder, ruler of Ahiranya
Rukh — Young servant in the household of the temple elders, rot sufferer
Sanjana — Temple daughter, deceased
Sendhil — Temple elder, deceased
Sima — Priya's friend, advisor
Aloran
Alori — Princess of Alor, attendant of Princess Malini, deceased
Rao — Prince of Alor
Viraj — King of Alor
Yogesh — Military administrator
Dwarali
Khalil — Lord of the Lal Qila
Manvi — Archer, guardswoman of Lady Raziya
Raziya — Highborn lady, wife of Lord Khalil
Sahar — Archer, guardswoman of Lady Raziya
Parijati
Aditya — Ex — crown prince of Parijatdvipa; priest of the nameless
Chandra — Emperor of Parijatdvipa
Deepa — Daughter of Lord Mahesh
Divyanshi — First mother of flame, founder of Parijatdvipa, deceased
Hemanth — High Priest of the Mothers of Flame
Kartik — Priest of the Mothers of Flame; faceless son
Lata — Sage
Mahesh — Highborn lord, loyal to Prince Aditya
Mitul — Priest of the Mothers of Flame
Malini — Empress of Parijatdvipa
Narina — Noble attendant of Princess Malini, deceased
Sikander — Previous emperor of Parijatdvipa, deceased
Sushant — Highborn lord; advisor to Emperor Chandra
Vikram — Regent of Ahiranya, deceased
Saketan
Ashutosh — Low prince of Saketa
High Prince — Ruler of Saketa
Kunal — Son of the High Prince; royal heir to Saketa
Narayan — Highborn lord
Prem — Low prince of Saketa, deceased
Romesh — Liegeman to low prince Ashutosh; rot sufferer
Varsha — Daughter of the High Prince, wife of Emperor Chandra
Srugani
Prakash — Highborn lord
Rohit — Highborn lord
extras
meet the author
Photo Credit: Shekhar Bhatia
TASHA SURI is the author of the Burning Kingdoms trilogy, the Books of Ambha duology, and the YA novel What Souls Are Made Of. She studied English and creative writing at Warwick University and is now a cat-owning librarian in London. A love of period Bollywood films, history, and mythology led her to write South Asian — influenced fantasy. Find her on Twitter @tashadrinkstea.
Find out more about Tasha Suri and other Orbit authors by registering for the free monthly newsletter at orbitbooks.net.
if you enjoyed
THE OLEANDER SWORD
look out for
THE CITY OF DUSK
Book One of The Dark Gods
by
Tara Sim
For every realm, there is a god.
For every god, there is an heir.
For every heir, there is a price.
The Four Realms — Life, Death, Light, and Darkness — all converge on the City of Dusk. But the gods have withdrawn their favor from the once thriving and vibrant metropolis. And without it, all the realms are dying.
Unwilling to stand by and watch the destruction, the four heirs to divine power — Angelica, an elementalist with her eyes set on the throne; Risha, a necromancer fighting to keep the peace; Nikolas, a soldier who struggles to see the light; and Taesia, a shadow-wielding rogue with a reckless heart — will become reluctant allies in the quest to save their city.
But their rebellion will cost them dearly.
I
Taesia Lastrider had never considered herself a good person, nor did she have any intention of becoming one.
She was fine with that. Beyond the confines of her House's villa, she was freer to do whatever she wanted. Be whomever she wanted.
The last breath of summer's heat coiled around her as she shifted in the shadow of a market awning. Shoppers were buying melon juice and sarab, a clear Parithvian alcohol served with a pinch of orange-colored spice that cooled the body down. Jewelry on a nearby cart glittered in the sunlight, cuffs of hammered silver and brass sending spangles into her vision. Taesia blinked and retreated even farther into the shade.
It put her in view of the building she had been adamantly trying to ignore. But it was almost impossible to overlook the size of it, the swirling, conch-like design of shimmering sandstone, the length of the shadow it cast across the city of Nexus.
It was quite lovely, for a prison. But crack that pretty shell open, and all its filth would come pouring out, the discarded and condemned souls of Nexus's convicts.
Someone bumped into her as they passed by, and the shadows twitched at her fingertips. She was so jumpy it took her a moment to realize it was merely a common thieves' tactic: make someone paranoid enough to pat their trousers or their sleeves to know where to strike later.
An amateur trick. It didn't matter there were more guards than usual patrolling the marketplace; pickpockets would take any chance they could get.
At the next stall over, a man was prying open boxes with a crowbar, chatting with the vendor as they checked the wares inside. “Would've gotten here sooner if I hadn't been held at the city gates,” the man with the crowbar said. “Guards were sniffing around me like the dogs they are.”