But there’s good news.
EW has the exclusive first look at the new tome, starting with the cover.
Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.
Credit: Lucas Passmore
But she wont be alone.
Check it out below, and mark your calendars for May.
There was clear sight for miles.
HarperCollins Children’s Books
A good day for the end of a voyage.
And a good day to begin one.
Corayne loved the coast of Siscaria this time of year, in the mornings of early summer.
No spring storms, no crackling thunderheads, no winter fog.
No splendor of color, no beauty.
Nothing but the empty blue horizon of the Long Sea.
Her leather satchel bounced at her hip, her ledger safe inside.
The book of charts and lists was worth its weight in gold, especially today.
She eagerly walked the ancient Cor road along the cliffs, following the flat, paved stones into Lemarta.
She knew the way like she knew her mothers own face.
Sand-colored and windcarved, not worn by the sun but gilded by it.
The Long Sea crashed 50 feet below, kicking up spray in rhythm with the tide.
A good day,she thought again, turning her face to the sun.
Her guardian, Kastio, walked at her side, his body weathered by decades on the waves.
Gray-haired with furious black eyebrows, the old Siscarian sailor was darkly tanned from fingertips to toes.
He walked at an odd pace, suffering from old knees and permanent sea legs.
he asked, glancing at his charge sidelong.
His vivid blue eyes searched her face with the focus of an eagle.
Corayne shook her head, blinking tired eyes.
Just excited, she offered, forcing a thin smile to placate him.
You know I barely sleep before the ship returns.
The old sailor was easily thrown off.
He doesnt need to know about my dreams, nor does anyone.
He would certainly tell Mother, who would make it all the more unbearable with her concern.
But they still come every night.
And, somehow, theyre getting worse.
White hands, shadowed faces.
Something moving in the dark.
Ships made their way along the Empress Coast toward the Lemartan port.
They stood out like teeth in a half-empty jaw.
The towers still standing were manned by old soldiers or land-bound sailors, men in their twilight.
Whats the count this morning, Reo?
Corayne asked as she passed the Tower of Balliscor.
In the window stood its single keeper, a decaying old man.
He waggled a set of wrinkled fingers, his skin worn as old leather.
Only two in beyond the point.
Aquamarine sails,she corrected in her head,marked with the golden mermaid of Tyriot.
You dont miss a trick, do you?
she said, not breaking stride.
My hearing might be going, but my eyes sharp as ever.
Corayne echoed, fighting a smirk.
Difficult to spot, for those who did not know where to look.
Or those paid to look elsewhere.
The gatekeeper took the coin, waving them onto familiar streets overgrown with lilac and orange blossoms.
Lemarta was a bright place, the stone buildings painted in the radiant colors of sunrise and sunset.
On a summer morning, the market streets crowded with tradespeople and townsfolk alike.
Corayne offered smiles like her coin: an item to trade.
Farmers drove their mules in from the cliffs, carting vegetables, fruits, and grain.
Merchants shouted their wares in every language of the Long Sea.
Dedicant priests walked in lines, their robes dyed in varying shades to note their orders.
The blue-cloaked priests of Meira were always most numerous, praying to the goddess of the waters.
Sailors waiting for a tide or a wind already idled in seden courtyards, drinking wine in the sunshine.
A port city was many things, but above all a crossroads.
While Lemarta was insignificant in the scheme of the world, she was nothing to sneer at.
She was a good place to drop anchor.
But not for me,Corayne thought as she quickened her pace.Not one second longer.
The climbing sun flashed brilliantly off the turquoise shallows.
Lemarta stared down at the harbor, hunched against the cliffs like an audience in an amphitheater.
A mess of crew crowded the galleys and the pier, spilling over the planks.
Half a dozen soldiers accompanied them, clad in rich purple tunics.
Nothing of spectacular quality or particular interest,Corayne noted, eyeing the haul.
Kastio followed her gaze, squinting out beneath his eyebrows.
Her smirk bloomed as quickly as an answer.
Salt from the Aegir mines, Corayne said, all confidence.
And I bet you a cup of wine the olive oil is from the Orisi groves.
The old sailor chuckled.
No bet Ive learned my lesson more than once, he replied.
Youve a head for this business, none can deny that.
She faltered in her steps, her voice sharpening.
Another harbor officer waited at the end of the next pier, though the berth was empty.
The soldiers with him looked halfasleep, wholly uninterested.
The weight was a comfort, as good as a knights shield.
Over the officers shoulder, a ship came into harbor, sailing out of the cliff shadow.
There was no mistaking the galley, its deep purple flag a beacon.
Officer Galeri, she called, Kastio close behind her.
Always a pleasure to see you.
Galeri inclined his head.
The officer was almost three times her age nearing fifty years old and spectacularly ugly.
DomianaCorayne, you know the pleasure is mine, he replied, taking her outstretched hand with a flourish.
The pouch passed from her fingers to his, disappearing into his coat.
And good morning to you,DomoKastio, he added, nodding at the old man.
Kastio glowered in reply More of the usual this morning?
Corayne grinned truly, looking over the galley as she glided in.
She was a beautiful ship, her hull darkly painted for voyages in colder seas.
With the turn of the season, warm-water camouflage would come: sea-green and sand stripes.
But for now she was as shadow, flying the wine-dark purple of a Siscarian ship returning home.
A silhouette stood at the stern, and warmth spread in Coraynes chest.
The cargo listing, more of the usual.For cargo not yet unloaded.Youll find accurate counts.
Salt and honey, taken on in Aegironos.
Galeri eyed the paper without interest.
he asked, opening his own ledger of notes.
Behind him, one of the soldiers took to pissing off the dock.
Corayne wisely ignored him.
Lecorra, she said.
Once the center of the known realm, now a shadow of its imperial glory.
To His Excellency, Duke Reccio
That will suffice, Galeri muttered.
At the end of the pier, ropes were thrown, men leaping with them.
Their voices were a tangle of languages: Paramount and Kasan and Treckish and even the lilting Rhashiran tongue.
Corayne could barely stand it, ready to jump out of her skin with excitement.
Galeri dropped into a shallow bow, grinning.
Two of his teeth were brighter than the rest.Ivory, bought or bribed.Very well, this is settled.
Well stand watch, of course, to observe your shipment for His Excellency.
It was the only invitation Corayne needed.
She trotted by the officer and his soldiers, doing her best not to break into a run.
Not that Ive ever seen my mother wear a skirt.
Rhashiran was still beyond her grasp, while the Jydi tongue was famously impossible for outsiders.
Youve been practicing, said Ehjer, the first crew member to meet her.
Dont patronize me, Ehjer; I soundhaarbld, she gasped, struggling to breathe in his grip.
The pier crowded with reunion, the planks a mess of crew and crates.
Corayne passed through, careful to note any new recruits picked up on the voyage.
There were always a few, easy to spot.
Most had blistered hands and sunburns, unaccustomed to life on deck.
TheTempestbornliked to train their own from the waves up.
Mothers rule, like so many others.
Corayne found her where she always did, half perched on the railing.
Meliz an-Amarat was neither tall nor short, but her presence was vast, and commanded attention.
A good quality for any ships captain to have.
Every crate and burlap sack passed beneath her gaze, to be checked off on a mental tally.
How fare the winds?
Corayne called, watching her mother rule over her galley kingdom.
From the deck, Meliz beamed, her hair free about her shoulders, black as a storm cloud.
The faint smile lines around her mouth were well earned.
Fine, for they bring me home, she said, her voice like honey.
