1 Begin Reading Table of Contents About the Author Copyright Page   Thank you for buying this Tom Doherty Associates ebook.   To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.   Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup   For email updates on the author, click here. 2 The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce, or upload this e- book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy. 3 To Patricia— For never once forgetting. 4 The old gods may be great, but they are neither kind nor merciful. They are fickle, unsteady as moonlight on water, or shadows in a storm. If you insist on calling them, take heed: be careful what you ask for, be willing to pay the price. And no matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark. Estele Magritte 1642–1719 5 Villon-sur-Sarthe, France July 29, 1714     A girl is running for her life. The summer air burns at her back, but there are no torches, no angry mobs, only the distant lanterns of the wedding party, the reddish glow of the sun as it breaks against the horizon, cracks and spills across the hills, and the girl runs, skirts tangling in the grass as she surges toward the woods, trying to beat the dying light. Voices carry on the wind, calling her name. Adeline? Adeline? Adeline! Her shadow stretches out ahead—too long, its edges already blurring—and small white flowers tumble from her hair, littering the ground like stars. A constellation left in her wake, almost like the one across her cheeks. Seven freckles. One for every love she’d have, that’s what Estele had said, when the girl was still young. One for every life she’d lead. One for every god watching over her. Now, they mock her, those seven marks. Promises. Lies. She’s had no loves, she’s lived no lives, she’s met no gods, and now she is out of time. But the girl doesn’t slow, doesn’t look back; she doesn’t want to see the life that stands there, waiting. Static as a drawing. Solid as a tomb. Instead, she runs. 6 7 PART ONE THE GODS THAT ANSWER AFTER DARK 8 Title of Piece: Revenir Artist: Arlo Miret Date: 1721–22 AD Medium: ash wood, marble Location: On loan from the Museé d’Orsay Description: A sculptural series of five wooden birds in various postures and stages of pre-flight, mounted on a narrow marble plinth. Background: A diligent autobiographer, Miret kept journals that provide insight into the artist’s mind and process. Regarding the inspiration for Revenir, Miret attributed the idea to a figurine found on the streets of Paris in the winter of 1715. The wooden bird, found with a broken wing, is reputedly re-created as the fifth in the sequence (albeit intact), about to take flight. Estimated Value: $175,000 9