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Prologue

After three days of tra across endless lava fields, Ronan quickened his steps at the sight of the forest He swore he could feel soft earth under his feet, hear birds in the treetops, even s water If one had to pick a place to die, he supposed one could do worse

He glanced over at his father and uncle, but their gazes were fixed straight ahead Even the guards weren't paying attention Still Ronan didn't consider escape There was a reason the exiles weren't bound or chained They were in the Wastes There was no place to hide except the Forest of the Dead, and they'd be there soon enough

Ronan sat around the ca their final dinner in the livestock enclosure Once they passed the canyon walls, they'd be expected to fend for themselves Without weapons In a forest rumored to be bereft of life

For their last ot water, dried fish, and overcooked rice At least the water was clean, which was

Beside hi at the fire Two of the exiles eyed his untouched food As soon as Ronan's uncle turned away, one snatched a chunk of fishand found his wrist pinned to the ground

"Drop it," Ronan said

"You little--"

The convict didn't get a chance to finish the curse Ronan's fist sla as he struggled for breath The other exiles laughed Ronan knew they weren't cheering his victory; they'd have laughed just as ut On the road, he'd watched three prisoners die, their killers goaded on by the others, who cared only that the deaths lifted the monotony for a moment or two

He didn't glance at his uncle He knew he'd be pleased He also knew that he wouldn't have interfered if Ronan had faced a blade If Ronan wasn't strong enough to survive, then he shouldn't It was that simple

Ronan set the fish back in front of his father, who hadn'tthe entire incident His uncle shook his head, reached over, and took the untouched meal He divided the fish and rice and pushed half toward Ronan

"Eat"

Ronan took it, only to press the fish into his father's hand It fell to the rocky ground His uncle snorted After another try, Ronan kept the food, and his uncle grunted in satisfaction