Praise for internationally bestselling author
‘Katniss Everdeen better watch out.’
—Huffington Post
‘Julie Kagawa is one killer storyteller.’
—MTV
‘A book that will keep its readers glued to the pages until the very end.’
—New York Journal of Books
‘Kagawa pulls her readers into a unique world of make-believe with her fantastic storytelling, and ultimately leaves them wanting more by the end of each book.’
—Times Record News
‘Kagawa has done the seemingly impossible and written a vampire book … that feels fresh in an otherwise crowded genre.’
—Kirkus Reviews
‘An intense and thought-provoking series.’
—School Library Journal
‘Surpasses the greater majority of dark fantasies.’
—teenreads.com
JULIE KAGAWA is the internationally bestselling author of the Iron Fey, Blood of Eden and The Talon Saga series. Born in Sacramento, she has been a bookseller and an animal trainer and enjoys reading, painting, playing in her garden and training in martial arts. She lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of pets. Visit her at www.juliekagawa.com.
Soldier
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Julie Kagawa
To Nick
Contents
RILEY
EMBER
DANTE
RILEY
EMBER
PART II: UNDER ONE BANNER
SEBASTIAN
GARRET
DANTE
GARRET
EMBER
RILEY
GARRET
DANTE
EMBER
RILEY
EMBER
RILEY
GARRET
EMBER
PART III: COVENANT
RILEY
EMBER
GARRET
SEBASTIAN
EMBER
RILEY
GARRET
DANTE
EMBER
RILEY
GARRET
EMBER
GARRET
RILEY
GARRET
EMBER
GARRET
EMBER
EPILOGUE
DANTE
The world was on fire.
Flames surrounded him, crackling in his ears, filling the air with heat and smoke. Coughing, the boy huddled in a corner the fire hadn’t reached yet, tears streaming painfully down his cheeks, burning his eyes. He couldn’t breathe. Everything was so hot; sweat poured off his small body and drenched his clothes. Gasping, he crawled toward an open closet on the far wall, wanting only to escape, to hide in the beckoning darkness and hope it all went away.
“Garret!”
A blurry form moved across his field of vision, and someone swept him off the floor. Instantly, he relaxed, burying