Before Dex could ask him any more questions, the general let out a bloody, wet cough.
Dex had seen people die before, many times. But seeing the light fade from General Cortas’s eyes marked the end of an era.
And the beginning of another. One with a dark, unknown future.
*
All across Arcardius, silver explosions rained down from the skies.
At first, the Arcardians were transfixed by the sparkling orbs that came from the clouds. But when they touched the ground, sank into their skin, their minds were altered in a way they could not have foreseen.
The enemies of Xen Ptera turned their eyes to the sky, smiling as they thought of their new queen.
An evil, long thought dead, had been reborn.
A queen without power had taken up her new throne, a prince of compulsion at her side.
And far away, hidden within the swirling colors of a nebula, a general in a glass starship died.
The Bloody Baroness took his place.
*
Acknowledgments—Sasha Alsberg
TRANSFORMING FROM A girl who struggled with dyslexia and couldn’t read to a woman who wrote a book is, to me, a miracle. My own kind of fairytale.
To my magical co-author, Lindsay Cummings, for being my friend and teaching me the secrets of being a writer. It is surreal that four years ago I was in your acknowledgments, and now we are writing acknowledgments for OUR book!
To the woman who believed in me and my career, Joanna Volpe—words cannot express how grateful I am to have you as my agent. Seriously, I’m at a loss for words. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To Peter Knapp—so happy you joined our team as Lindsay’s agent. You complete our four musketeers!
To the fearless members of #TeamZ...
Harlequin TEEN: Lauren Smulski, Siena Koncsol, Bryn Collier, Amy Jones, Evan Brown, Krista Mitchell, Aurora Ruiz, Shara Alexander, Linette Kim, Natashya Wilson and Erin Craig.
New Leaf Literary & Media: Devin Ross, Kathleen Ortiz, Mia Roman, Pouya Shahbazian, Chris McEwen and Hilary Pecheone.
And to everyone at Park Literary & Media.
To JD Netto for being not only a great friend over the years, but also the talented artist who made our gorgeous cover. hearteyes
None of this would be possible without the love and support of my family. To the man who never fails to brighten up my day: Dad, you have inspired me every day to live out my dreams. You are my cheerleader, and without you, I would be lost. Mom, you jump-started my love for reading during a time when I didn’t believe in myself. I love and miss you so much. To my amazing twin, Marisa (we are fraternal, if you’re wondering), and my lovely sisters Jennifer, Nicole and Stephanie. To Marina and Aunt Marcia, I am so grateful to have mother figures like the two of you in my life. To Fraser, you are a menace, but you’re my menace. To Myles, Oliver and Kolin, you are my little puppers of joy.
To my amazing friends: Gabby Gendek, Jackie Sawicz, Ben Alderson, Annmarie Morrison, Sam Wood, Natasha Polis, Zoe Herdt, Connor Wolff, Tiernan Bertrand Essington, Hannah Sun, Theresa Miele, Kaitlyn Nash, Gemma Edwards, Casey Davoren, Regan Perusse, Christine Riccio, Jesse George, Kat O’Keefe, Emma Giordano, Jenna Clare, Rebekah Faubion, Kayla Olson, Carmen Seda, Emma Parkinson, Francesca Mateo and Molly and Anna Gottfreid. I wish I could name all of you, but you know who you are!
To Sarah J. Maas, Roshani Chokshi, Susan Dennard, Victoria Aveyard, Danielle Paige, Adam Silvera, Val Tejeda, Alexandra Bracken, Renee Ahdieh, Elizabeth May, Laura Lam, Soman Chainani, Dhonielle Clayton, Kerri Maniscalco, Adi Alsaid and Amie Kaufman, for inspiring me as a writer and just for being wicked cool people.
To Scotland—yes, the country—and to Sam Heughan, for being devilishly handsome as my phone wallpaper.
And, of course, thank you to the moon and back to all my subscribers (aka my YouTube family) for being the best support a girl could ask for. Without you, none of this would be a reality. You are my motivation and I love you. <3
Acknowledgments—Lindsay Cummings
HAS IT REALLY been seven years of authordom for me? Someone help me... I’m getting old.
I’ll start the way I always do: I want to thank God for getting me through another novel. The time period surrounding Zenith’s creation was thrilling, for all the incredible fun and laughter and amazing things this book has done for my career. But it has also been the hardest two years of my life. While writing Zenith, I sunk so deeply into depression, I was afraid I’d never make it back out. You saved me, just as you always do. You gave me the gift of writing, and I couldn’t be more blessed by it. You have carried me through, even now, and you always will. I love you. I pray I will always put you first.
To TEAM Z, which includes my fearless agent, Peter Knapp at Park Literary: You are an absolute JOY to work with! You champion my work like a prizefighter, but you always do it with class. I’m so glad we picked each other. Here’s to more adventures, Alfie!
To Joanna Volpe, and everyone else at New Leaf Literary: Thank you for supporting Zenith and helping get it to where it is now. This would not have happened without you all.
To my husband, my parents, my sister and my brother-in-law: Thank you for calming me down when I get too overwhelmed about publishing. Maybe someday, I’ll relax about it all (but probably not). I love you. I know what true love is because of you.
To my husband’s family: Thank you for putting up with me these past two years while we’ve been living at your place. Most days, I’m a wreck. Other days, I’m sarcastic or plotting something evil. Every day, I’m thankful for your support.
To the entire team at Harlequin TEEN: I’ve told you a million times, and I’ll tell you again...you know how to make an author feel wanted and loved. I’m forever grateful for your kind hearts and overall excitement for Zenith. You’ve given me a renewed joy for writing books.
To Cherie Stewart: Thanks for always being in my court. I’m forever grateful for your support and wise words and fellow appreciation for exhaustion.
To JD Netto: You are the best cover designer in the world. I’m not biased. You’re just that talented. Thank you for your creativity and hard work on this series from the beginning.
To the rest of the worship band at church: Sundays get me through the week, especially during stressful deadline times. Thank you for your hearts and your prayers and your music.
To Rebekah Faubion (I miss you!), Kayla Olson, Roshani Chokshi, Sean Easley, Victoria Scott (Come back to TX!), Nicole Caliro, Brenda Drake, Emily Bain Murphy, Susan Dennard, Danielle Paige, Gregory Katsoulis, Stephanie Garber, Zac Brewer, Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Ryan Graudin and any and all bookish friends I have inevitably forgotten. Thank you for supporting me. You may not even know why you’re in here, but I know why, and it means the world to me.