Any other girl—any ordinary person—would be crying. I hadn’t blinked. I was more than a person. I was a Diabolic.
Blood still seeped, so I raised the corner of my shirt to blot it away, then blot it again. If the swelling receded and the nose remained crooked, or uncorrected, then . . . then I would simply break and correct it again.
Neveni startled awake when I kicked the foot of her bed—and next to her, Anguish opened his eyes lazily, a subtle tension in his great muscles that told me he was poised to spring and break me apart if necessary. . . . But for now, he wanted to lounge in bed.
They’d somehow carved some happiness out of the ashes. I saw that, gazing down at them. My heart felt hollow, like I would never feel anything again.
“Whatever you want of me,” I told Neveni, “I don’t care. I’ll do it. I am alive because of you. I’ll repay the debt. I’ll destroy anyone you wish.”
I whipped around to leave them.
“Nemesis,” Neveni called after me. I turned to see her sharp, intense gaze. “Anyone?”
I knew what she meant. She only cared about one person. Just one.
Rage and hurt boiled within me, and I hated that I felt them at all. All I wished was to turn to stone, to ice.
My voice, when I spoke, held a remorseless certainty.
“Anyone.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m keeping it short this time! If I leave out anyone, my apologies in advance. I really am overflowing with appreciation for everyone who has made the experience with The Diabolic happen.
Thanks, Justin, for having such faith in these books, and Holly, for being such an amazing representative.
Thanks, Meredith and Mom, for the first reads! Rob, Dad, Matt, Betsey, and the kids for being awesome.
My gratitude to everyone at Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, especially Audrey, Alexa, Dorothy, Lizzy, Nick, Chrissy, and Chava for all the back-and-forth.
Thank you also to Dana Spector, David Manpearl, and Ryan Doherty.
Thank you to my foreign publishers, particularly Arena. Anna, it was wonderful to meet you in person! Thanks to Elena and the others as well for an incredible experience.
Thanks, Jamie and Jessica. Thanks to the Schaumburg folks, including Toddery Barn.
THANK YOU to children’s librarians, to children’s booksellers, to bloggers, readers, and every single one of you who has read this series, passed it on, and talked about it. You guys make this all worthwhile.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S. J. KINCAID is the New York Times bestselling author of The Diabolic. She originally wanted to be an astronaut, but a dearth of mathematical skills made her turn her interest to science fiction instead. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received stars from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. She’s chronically restless and has lived in California, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Illinois, and Scotland with no signs of staying in one place anytime soon.
Authors.simonandschuster.com/S-J-Kincaid
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2017 by S. J. Kincaid
Jacket illustration copyright © 2017 by Bose Collins
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The text for this book was set in Bell.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kincaid, S. J., author.
Title: The empress / S. J. Kincaid.
Description: First edition. | New York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, [2017]. | Series: The Diabolic ; book 2 | Summary: “Nemesis, the Diabolic, and Tyrus face new challenges and old enemies as Tyrus ascends to the throne, and the two struggle to prove Nemesis’ humanity to those who oppose her position as Empress and keep them from full power over the galaxy”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017023825 (print) | LCCN 2017038489 (ebook) | ISBN 9781534409927 (hardback) | ISBN 9781534409941 (Ebook)
Subjects: | CYAC: Science fiction. | Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction. | Courts and courtiers—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.K61926 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.K61926 Emp 2017 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017023825
S. J. Kincaid, The Empress
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