Marcykate Connolly - Twin Daggers

Open this book and be transported into a world of magic, machines, and espionage. Twin Daggers is a riveting story about the length two sisters will go for each other. And be preparedthey will steal your heart.

Rebecca Ross, author of Sisters of Sword and Song

Twisting and fast-paced, Twin Daggers is an exciting new fantasy series filled with charming magic, harrowing politics, and the bittersweet struggle of star-crossed lovers. Be careful, dear reader, for Aissa and Aro are sure to steal your heart.

Mindee Arnett, author of Onyx & Ivory

A taut, emotionally arresting fantasy.

Kirkus Reviews

Exceptionally well crafted with a wealth of inherently fascinating plot twists and turns, Twin Daggers is a simply outstanding YA novel that will have a very special appeal to young readers ages 13-18.

Midwest Book Review

BLINK

Twin Daggers

Copyright 2020 by MarcyKate Connolly

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Blink, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Hardcover ISBN 978-0-310-76814-2

Ebook ISBN 978-0-310-76816-6

Epub Edition JUNE 2020 9780310768166

All internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers on this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or to imply and endorsement by the publisher, nor does the publisher vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover direction: Ron Huizenga

Interior design: Denise Froehlich

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

MY LIFE IS A CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED LIE. Even now as my sister and I prepare to slip into the darkness of the tunnel network that runs beneath our city, each movement we make must remain cloaked by magic. Everything we say, everything we do, is designed to mislead and persuade that were exactly like the people we live amongst.

If were found out, well be executed.

The lid of the drainage tunnelfar too heavy for us to lift by handrises into the still night air. Zandria continues to weave her hands in quick, furtive motions, moving the cover with her magic, while my own incantation stirs the air fast enough to make us imperceptible in the darkness of the alley. Zandria nods at me to go first and I climb down the grimy ladder into the black, never dropping my spell.

I hit the floor as shes halfway down the ladder, and the lid clicks back into place. The city of Palinor sleeps above us while we creep along its filthy underbelly. This is our nightly ritual. When the sun sets, we head for the tunnels and hunt for what our people have lost.

We are Magi, a once powerful people decimated by the Techno-Magi wars one hundred years ago. The Technocrats bombed our schools and hospitals, did everything they could to destroy our children and future. For centuries we ruled these lands; now we are just beginning to rebuild our numbers. Our hatred of the Technocrats fuels us as we strive to recover what they stole.

The mere fact we exist is dangerous. Palinor isnt a country that looks fondly on magic. They fear and loathe it. The Technocrats believe they all but eradicated us in the wars. Their leaders have lied to them, relegating us to the status of mere specters in the dark.

Theyre wrong.

We have adapted.

My twin sister and I are living proof. All Magi can use magic on organic matter, but our powers are different. We can cast spells on anything, including the machines. It is our greatest secret, one we must hide from everyone but our parents. Our legends speak of a Magi sect that once tried to manipulate inanimate matter. They were cast out as tainted, their work destroyed, and their bloodlines removed from our histories. Simply being Magi is the least of our worries.

This place is nastier than usual, Zandria complains as she bumps her hip into mine. I cling to the rim of the ceiling and scowl at her. One false move and Ill be swimming with the rats.

And youre just as foolish, I say, taking the lead again. Now hush.

You hush, she says. I dont have to turn around to know she smirks at the back of my head.

But shes rightthe last few days have been warm and rainless, and it smells fouler than ever down here. The ointment we painted under our noses hardly dims the stench when its this bad. We creep along the stone walkway in single file. I drop the concealing spell and instead whisper the one that makes our steps soundless.

Guards are usually stationed above, near the entrances, and rarely down in the tunnels. But if there ever are any, were prepared.

Aissa, how much longer do you think well have to keep this up before Mama and Papa let us do something more interesting? Mapping these tunnels is getting old.

I stifle a snort. Nothing is ever exciting enough for my twin. Our parents began the mapping project last year, then handed it off when we turned sixteen last month, but weve only scratched the surface of the tunnel network in our nightly missions. This is our first excursion in this sector. The mapping is tedious, but important. It is said that somewhere down here lies the remnants of the Magis library. All those spells we lost, crushed by the Technocrats and buried under their shiny metal Palace.

Its necessary. Besides, we havent been doing this for long at all. We have to prove ourselves before the Armory will move us up the ranks. We cant expect to be at Mama and Papas level until weve done our share of grunt work.

But what fun will that be? she whines.

Keep your voice down. Do you want to get caught?

We havent encountered a soul yet. I could scream and no one would bat an eye.

Except for me, I say.

She smirks again. Yes, except for you.

This may not be the most glamorous task, as my sister reminds me every night, but it is important. Mama and Papaand our leaders in the Armoryentrusted us with this mission. If we fail, well lose our parents trust and the respect of our fellow Magi. Maybe even our lives if we get caught. Failure isnt an option. Which means we have to work hard and stick this out until the Armory sees fit to promote us.

And ensure they never find out what our magic can do to the machines.

As we walk through the tunnels, we reach out with our magic, probing the walls for hollow spaces behind them. The Armory had hoped that if the Technocrats built their Palace on top of the ruins of our Magi city, exploring these tunnels would uncover sections that survived. In fact, we already have found evidence; the first time we ventured beneath the city, Zandria and I ferreted out a hidden passage beyond the tunnel wall that was clearly much older than what the Technos had plastered over it. Any doubts our parents may have had about giving us this assignment were laid to rest that very night. But not every tunnel has secrets. The sector we spent the last week exploring had none, much to our disappointment.

After one hundred feet, we reach what appears to be a curve in the tunnels. But my magic immediately discerns the gap behind it.