Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Manon and wrapped his arms around her waist. The witch said something that made him
smile. Truly smile.

Dorian lifted his hand in farewell, wincing as Abraxos soared into the skies.

Ten other wyverns took to the air behind them.

The grinning, golden-haired witch—Asterin—and a slender, black-haired, green-eyed
one named Briar waited atop their mounts for Gavriel, Lorcan, and Elide. To carry them to
the ship that would take them hunting across the sea.

Lorcan made to step toward Elide as she approached Asterin’s wyvern, but she ignored
him. Didn’t even look at the male as she took Asterin’s hand and was hauled up into the
saddle. And though Lorcan hid it well, Rowan caught the glimmer of devastation on those
centuries-hardened features.

Gavriel’s barked curse as he gripped the golden-haired witch’s waist was the only
sound of his unease as they flapped into the sky. Only when they were all airborne did
Rowan slowly walk up the sandy hill, tying Goldryn’s ancient scabbard to his knife belt as
he went.

Her blood-splattered shirt was still lying there, just to the side of the pool of her blood
soaking the sand. He had no doubt Cairn had purposely left it.

Rowan bent, picking up the shirt, running his thumbs over the soft fabric.

The coven faded into the horizon; his companions reached their ship, and the others
were readying to move the army his mate had summoned for them, pushing the longboats
into the surf.

Rowan brought the shirt to his face and breathed in her scent. Felt something stir in
him—felt the bond flicker.

He let the shirt drop, let the wind carry it far out to sea, far away from this blood-
drenched place that reeked of pain.

I will find you.

Rowan shifted and soared high on a fast, wicked wind of his own making, the
glimmering sea sprawling to his right, the marshes a green-and-gray tangle to his left.
Chaining the wind to him, swiftly catching up with his companions now flying down the
coast, he committed her scent to memory, committed that flicker in the bond to memory.

That flicker he could have sworn he felt in answer, like the fluttering heart of an
ember.

Unleashing a cry that set the world trembling, Prince Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius,
Consort of the Queen of Terrasen, began the hunt to find his wife.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It’s always so difficult to sum up my overwhelming gratitude for the people who not only
work so tirelessly to make this book a reality, but who also provide me with such
unwavering support and friendship. I don’t know what I would do without them in my life,
and I thank the universe every single day that they’re in it.

To my husband, Josh: Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the
stars, I will love you. Thank you for the laughter on the days when I didn’t think I could
smile, for holding my hand when I needed a reminder that I was loved, and for being my
best friend and safe harbor. You are the greatest joy in my life, and even a thousand pages
would not be enough to express how much I love you.

To Annie: By now, it would not surprise me at all if you’ve learned to read. You are
the other great joy in my life, and your unconditional love and unfailing sass make a
solitary job into something that never feels lonely—not for one moment. I love you, baby
pup.

To Tamar Rydzinski: I have been so grateful for your wisdom, bad-assery, and
brilliance from the very first moment you called me all those years ago. But this year
especially, I’ve been even more thankful for your friendship. Thank you for having my
back no matter what. I’m so lucky to have you in my corner.

To Cat Onder: Working with you has been such a huge highlight of my career. Thank
you from the bottom of my heart for your clever and insightful feedback, for championing
my books, and for making this entire process just so fun. I’m incredibly proud to have you
as an editor and a friend.

To Margaret Miller: Thank you for all of your help and guidance over the years—I’ve
grown so much as a writer because of you, and I’m so grateful for it. To Cassie Homer:
Where do I even begin to thank you for all that you do? I truly don’t know how I’d
manage without your help. You’re amazing.

To my unparalleled and marvelous teams at Bloomsbury worldwide and CAA—Cindy
Loh, Cristina Gilbert, Jon Cassir, Kathleen Farrar, Nigel Newton, Rebecca McNally,
Natalie Hamilton, Sonia Palmisano, Emma Hopkin, Ian Lamb, Emma Bradshaw, Lizzy
Mason, Courtney Griffin, Erica Barmash, Emily Ritter, Grace Whooley, Eshani Agrawal,
Emily Klopfer, Alice Grigg, Elise Burns, Jenny Collins, Linette Kim, Beth Eller, Kerry
Johnson, Kelly de Groot, Ashley Poston, Lucy Mackay-Sim, Melissa Kavonic, Diane
Aronson, Donna Mark, John Candell, Nicholas Church, and the entire foreign rights team:
I am so blessed to work with such a spectacular group of people, and I can’t imagine my

books being in better hands. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything.

To my parents: Thank you for the unwavering love, and for owning a truly
embarrassing number of copies of all my books. To my in-laws: Thank you for looking
after Annie when we’re away—and for always being there for us no matter what. To my
wonderful family: I love you all.

To Louisse Ang, Sasha Alsberg, Vilma Gonzalez, Alice Fanchiang, Charlie Bowater,
Nicola Wilksinson, Damaris Cardinali, Alexa Santiago, Rachel Domingo, Kelly
Grabowski, Jessica Reigle, Jamie Miller, Laura Ashforth, Steph Brown, and the Maas
Thirteen: Thank you so, so, so much for your kindness, your generosity, and your
friendship. I’m honored to know you guys.

And to my readers: Thank you for the letters, the art, the tattoos(!!), the music—thank
you for all of it. I can’t begin to express how much it means to me, or how thankful I am.
You make all the hard work worth it.

Bloomsbury Publishing, London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi and Sydney
First published in Great Britain in September 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
First published in the USA in September 2016 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
1385 Broadway, New York, New York 10018
www.sarahjmaas.com
www.bloomsbury.com
BLOOMSBURY is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Text copyright © Sarah J. Maas 2016
Illustrations copyright © Kelly de Groot 2016
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying
or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 4088 7289 5
eISBN 978 1 4088 7290 1
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