From The Grave

Kresley Cole’s New York Times bestselling Arcana Chronicles series comes to a spectacular and fiery conclusion in this final installment. When even the gods hold their breath . . . To defeat the Emperor and Fortune, Evie, the great Empress of Arcana, must repair her bond with Death, despite the earth-shattering developments between them. And danger lurks in every shadow . . . Their allies—a sea witch, a band of roving warriors, and more than a couple of rogues—overcome terrifying obstacles to help them. But when Jack makes a shocking discovery, the fallout threatens to tear their alliance apart. One girl could deliver salvation—or doom. If the Empress and her friends can remain united, will their powers be enough to defeat a catastrophic curse on the world, or will hellfire reign forever? The end looms for us all until the best hand wins. . . . Valkyrie Press 228 Park Ave S #11599 New York, NY 10003 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. Copyright © 2023 by Kresley Cole All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. ISBN 978-0-9981414-6-6 CONTENTS Also in the Arcana Chronicles Acknowledgments The Field of Battle The Major Arcana Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 About the Author Also in the Arcana Chronicles Poison Princess Endless Knight Dead of Winter Day Zero Arcana Rising The Dark Calling Dedicated to you, for your support and readership over these seven books. Hail Tar Ro and much love, :)kc Acknowledgments I’m so grateful for all the incredible help I received on this book and throughout the series! To Naomi Lane, for everything from marketing to formatting to beta reading. A thousand thanks for everything you do. To Kristi Yanta, editor extraordinaire, for all your support and fabulous insights with FROM THE GRAVE. To Joal Hetherington. You copyedited each book in this series (and almost all my others). With each project, I’m wowed anew at your amazing work. To Louisa Edwards, for publishing wisdom and delightful reading. I can’t wait for your new series! To Amy Atwell. As ever, your proofing and book polishing mean the world. To Swede. You’ve been there through thick and thin over thirty-four books. I wouldn’t want to take this wild ride with anyone but you. Ready for thirty-four more? ❤️ THE FIELD OF BATTLE The Flash, a cataclysmic flare, scorched the surface of the earth to ash, killing most plant life, animals, and humans, with women hardest hit. The sun has ceased to rise, leaving the world in a freezing, endless night. Plague and starvation spread. OBSTACLES Militias unify. Slavers and cannibals hunt for new victims. All are bent on capturing females. The Bagmen (Baggers)—contagious zombies created by the Flash—roam the wastelands (the Ash), wailing for blood. FOES The Major Arcana. In every dark age, twenty-two players with supernatural powers fight in a deadly game. The sole winner will live as an immortal until the next game, when the fallen reincarnate. Our stories are depicted on the Major Arcana cards of a Tarot deck. I’m the Empress; we play again now. Death, my enemy through the ages, is now my ally and the father of my soon-to-be-born child. But the Hanged Man—now defeated—damaged our bond. To save humankind from the Emperor and Fortune, I’ll need to solidify my alliance of killers, each with their own lethal gifts. ARSENAL My Empress powers—regenerative healing, the ability to control anything that roots or blooms, thorn tornadoes, and poison—are best fueled by rage, and I have an overflowing pit of it. But if I tap into that toxic well again, will I lose myself for good? —The Major Arcana— 0. The Fool, Gamekeeper of Old (Matthew) I. The Magician, Master of Illusions (Finneas) II. The Priestess, Ruler of the Deep (Circe) III. The Empress, Our Lady of Thorns (Evie) IV. The Emperor, Stone Overlord (Richter) V. The Hierophant, He of the Dark Rites (Guthrie) VI. The Lovers, Duke & Duchess Most Perverse (Vincent & Violet) VII. The Centurion, Wicked Champion (Kentarch) VIII. Strength, Mistress of Fauna (Lark) IX. The Hermit, Master of Alchemy (Arthur) X. Fortune, Lady 1 The Empress Day 587 A.F. Castle Lethe I watched the drive long after there was no sign of Jack, the love of my life. I watched until my tears had frozen on my cheeks. I tightened the tourniquet around my heart once more, knowing that one day it would break, and I would bleed out in the snow. Or worse. But if he could sacrifice for Tee, the nickname he’d given my unborn son, so could I. Stemming my tears,