Unravel the Dusk

Chapter One

Thousands of red lanterns illuminated the Autumn Palace, suspended on strings so fine the lights looked like kites floating from roof to roof. I could have watched them all night, dancing on the wind and painting the twilight with a burnished glow--but my mind was elsewhere. For beneath the sea of bobbing lights, the Square of Splendid Harmony was staged for an imperial wedding. 

Seeing all this red, in celebration of Emperor Khanujin s marriage to Lady Sarnai, should have gladdened me. I d worked so hard and sacrificed so much for the peace their union would finally bring to A landi. 

But I wasn t the same Maia as before. 

The Autumn Palace s vermillion gates rumbled, and I pushed through the throng of servants to catch a glimpse of the wedding procession. At its helm would be Lady Sarnai s father, the shansen. I wanted to see the man who had bled my country from within, whose war had taken two of my brothers, and whose name alone made grown men shudder. 

The shansen, his gold-plated armor shining like dragon scales from under his rich emerald robes, rode on a majestic white stallion. Gray touched the tips of his beard and eyebrows. He did not look as fearsome as I had pictured--until I saw his eyes; they gleamed like black pearls, fierce as his daughter s, but crueler. 

Behind him rode his favored warrior, Lord Xina, followed by the shansen s three sons, all with their father s dark, unsettling eyes, and a legion of soldiers wearing patches on their sleeves embroidered with the shansen s emblem--a tiger. 

The shansen will mount the steps to the Hall of Harmony, announced Chief Minister Yun loudly, where his daughter, Sarnai Opai a Makang, will be presented as our emperor s bride. 

Tomorrow, Chief Minister Yun continued, the Procession of Gifts will be presented to the emperor s court. On the third day, Lady Sarnai will formally ascend to her

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SIX CRIMSON CRANES!

ELIZABETH LIM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York City with her husband and her two daughters.

Spin the Dawn (book 1 in the Blood of Stars duology) was her first original novel, and Unravel the Dusk is her second. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Six Crimson Cranes and a contributor to the Twisted Tales series.

Visit her at elizabethlim.com
Follow her on Twitter at @LizLim
Follow her on Instagram at @elimpix

Elements of Chinese culture enrich the nail-biter plot, and the beautifully written prose delivers a satisfying conclusion to a standout duology.   Booklist

The strength of this story lies in Maia s internal struggles and the ways the author weaves in lessons learned through various Asian myths and legends. . . . Readers who enjoyed the first book will find everything amped up here.   Kirkus Reviews