Emperor of Ruin

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Django Wexler Excerpt from The Bladed Faith copyright © 2022 by David Dalglish Excerpt from The Stardust Thief copyright © 2022 by Chelsea Abdullah Cover design by Lauren Panepinto Cover illustration by Scott Fischer Cover copyright © 2023 by Hachette Book Group, Inc. Map and chapter ornaments by Charis Loke Author photograph by Rachel Thompson Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights. Orbit Hachette Book Group 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 orbitbooks.net First Edition: February 2023 Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group. The Orbit name and logo are trademarks of Little, Brown Book Group Limited. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher. The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or email [email protected]. Orbit books may be purchased in bulk for business, educational, or promotional use. For information, please contact your local bookseller or the Hachette Book Group Special Markets Department at [email protected]. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Wexler, Django, author. Title: Emperor of ruin / Django Wexler. Description: First edition. | New York, NY : Orbit, 2023. | Series: Burningblade & Silvereye ; book 3 Identifiers: LCCN 2022015615 | ISBN 9780316519663 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780316519649 (ebook) Subjects: LCGFT: Fantasy fiction. | Novels. Classification: LCC PS3623.E94 E47 2023 | DDC 813/.6—dc23/eng/20220401 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022015615 ISBNs: 9780316519663 (trade paperback), 9780316519649 (ebook) E3-20230204-JV-NF-ORI For ZeraMax Contents Cover Map Cast of Characters Series Recap Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Epilogue Acknowledgments Glossary Meet the Author Also by Django Wexler Begin Reading Table of Contents Cast of Characters (as of the end of Blood of the Chosen) Yora’s crew in Deepfire Yora—daughter of the famous failed revolutionary Kaidan Hiddenedge, and leader of a group of thieves and rebels opposed to the rule of Dux Raskos Rottentooth. Killed by Tanax in the centarchs’ ambush of her group. Gyre Silvereye—also known as Halfmask for the mask he wore to hide his missing eye. See the series recap. Sarah—an arcanist and scavenger. Badly wounded by blaster fire in the centarchs’ ambush, losing an arm, which was later replaced by a ghoul prosthetic. Traveled with Gyre to Khirkhaz and formed a relationship with Elariel. Escaped from the Purifier with Gyre and Maya. Nevin—a thief and Sarah’s boyfriend. Disappeared after the centarchs’ ambush. Ibb—a scavenger. Abandoned the group for civilian life when Kit’s assignments proved too dangerous. Harrow—a scavenger and animal handler. Tunnelborn, with a crush on Yora. Killed by a ghoul construct on one of Kit’s assignments. Lynnia Sharptongue—an elderly alchemist and a close friend of Yora’s, with many connections to the underground. Kitsraea Doomseeker (“Kit”)—a famous scavenger, secretly working for the ghouls of Refuge. Ultimately traveled with Gyre and Naumoriel to Leviathan’s Womb, and was mortally wounded in the confrontation atop the Leviathan. Gyre transferred her mind into the construct’s analytica, and she currently inhabits its swarm of construct bodies. Government of Deepfire Dux Raskos Rottentooth—appointed governor of Deepfire for the Republic. Venal and corrupt. Maya exposed his involvement in a smuggling ring, and he fled Deepfire ahead of orders for his arrest. Guria Fairshot—head of Deepfire’s Auxiliaries, and Raskos’ right-hand man. Arrested after Maya exposed Raskos. Ghouls of Refuge Naumoriel—Minister of the Exterior for the city of Refuge. Obsessed with restoring the Leviathan and using it to destroy the Order, he tasked Kit with finding the necessary arcana. Ultimately killed by Gyre to prevent the Leviathan from being unleashed on humanity. Elariel—Naumoriel’s young assistant and Kit’s handler. Sentenced to death for Naumoriel’s failures. Her sentence was commuted to exile so she could help Gyre in Khirkhaz, and she was forcibly altered to appear human. In a relationship with Sarah. Escaped from the Purifier with Gyre and Maya. Tyraves—new Minister of the Exterior after Naumoriel’s death. Helped Gyre set up the Khirkhaz expedition. The Twilight Order Maya Burningblade—agathios to Jaedia, later a full centarch. See the series recap. Jaedia Suddenstorm—a centarch. Master to Maya and Marn and former agathios to Basel. Kept away from the Forge and Order politics. Ambushed and taken over by a “black spider,” she traveled to Leviathan’s Womb with Nicomidi before being confronted by Maya, Tanax, and Beq. Broke the black spider’s control to save Maya and was saved by her in turn, but lapsed into a coma afterward. Marn—agathios to Jaedia. Captured by dhakim and later rescued by Maya. Sent to the countryside to recover. Baselanthus Coldflame—a Kyriliarch of the Council, leader of the Pragmatic faction. Master to Jaedia. Originally installed the Thing into Maya’s body. Nicomidi Thunderclap—a Kyriliarch of the Council, leader of the Dogmatic faction. Master to Tanax. Revealed as a traitor to the Order, and allied to the spider-controlled Jaedia. Killed by her at Leviathan’s Womb when he outlived his usefulness. Prodominus Scatterbolt—a Kyriliarch of the Council, leader of the small Revivalist faction. Has a reputation for eccentricity. Followed Maya to the Purifier, confronted the Corruptor, and was killed helping everyone else escape. Evinda Stonecutter—a centarch, well respected and politically neutral. Va’aht