The Healing Wars: Book III: Darkfall Read online

  Family you choose plays a big role in the trilogy, and like Nya, I’m blessed to have some wonderful “family” in my life that doesn’t share my blood. My writing family has been instrumental in helping me develop my stories and my skills, discussing scenes and plots, characters and ideas. Ann and Juliette have both spent hours on the phone with me, and their insights led to plot twists and character understandings I never would have thought of on my own. Ann has read every draft of the entire trilogy (even the really bad ones) and probably knows this story as well as I do. Juliette made sure I spent as much time thinking about the who and the why as I did the what and the how.

  My crit buddies have always been there to offer words of wisdom and advice. Bonnie helped me see the more romantic side of the tale (which I’ve never been great at), and used her wonderful people sense to help me give the characters more depth. The Bloodies—Dario, Aliette, Traci, Keyan, Doug, and Genevieve—dug in and chopped the first draft into the pieces it deserved and helped me find the better story underneath.

  My editor, Donna, was wonderful and patient as I wrote not only this book but the whole series, and I’m grateful for her sharp eye. Brainstorming with her was a blast, and she always said exactly the right thing to spark my creativity and send me where I needed to go. And she never minded when a sudden epiphany sent the story in a new direction. How one small comment from her could help me see so much is beyond me, but she’s amazing at it.

  I’ve had a lot of support outside the writing side as well. Booksellers Sharon, Ellen, Karen, Jackie, and Myra have been wonderful supporters of me and my series, and helped introduce Nya and her friends to their friends and customers. Media center specialists have opened their doors and let me chat with their students many a time. Lisa, Cindy, Janice, Patricia, Becky, Kelly, Jean, Ruth, Anna, Anne, Katie, and Karen—thanks for inviting me to stop by.

  Big hugs also go to my agent, Kristin, who believed in the story from the start; Anita, who keeps me updated on sales and laughing with trivia; Ruta, who is always so much fun to talk to; Lindsey, Laura, and Marissa, who also worked hard to make sure the world knew about the books; and Emilie, who always had something fun for me to do that involved a recording device of some kind. One more big thank-you to the copyediting team, who never cease to impress me with their skill and sharp eyes.

  More hugs and thanks to the many bloggers and reviewers who gave The Healing Wars (and me) a chance and said such nice things about both of us. And to those bloggers who let me visit them on my blog tours, who tweeted and talked and chatted about Nya. Way too many to name, but you know who you are.

  And of course, thanks to the readers. Books are all about you, and without you, telling stories wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. I can’t say what your emails and kind words about the books have meant to me. They’ve brightened my days and made me work harder, because you deserve the best story you can get. I may not always succeed, but I’ll always try to live up to your expectations.

  Writing is a solitary endeavor, but publishing a book is not. So many wonderful and generous people rolled up their sleeves and dug in to help make this series a reality, and I am grateful and appreciative of all of them.

  Thanks doesn’t even begin to cover it.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JANICE HARDY is also the author of THE SHIFTER and BLUE FIRE, the first two books in the Healing Wars trilogy. She lives in Georgia with her husband, four cats, and one nervous freshwater eel. You can visit Janice online at www.janicehardy.com.

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  PRAISE

  Praise for Book I, THE SHIFTER:

  “In the tradition of strong-willed adventure heroines, Nya rallies, unleashing her powers as she faces complex moral dilemmas. Timely ethical exploration in the guise of high-action fantasy.” —Kirkus Reviews

  Praise for Book II, BLUE FIRE:

  “A thrilling, complex saga.” —The Horn Book

  “Relentless, gripping adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

  OTHER WORKS

  THE HEALING WARS: BOOK I

  The Shifter

  THE HEALING WARS: BOOK II

  Blue Fire

  CREDITS

  Jacket art © 2011 by Brandon Dorman

  Jacket design by Holden Designs and Jennifer Rozbruch

  COPYRIGHT

  The Healing Wars: Book III: Darkfall: Copyright © 2011 by Janice Hardy

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hardy, Janice.

  Darkfall / Janice Hardy. — 1st ed.

  p. cm. — (The healing wars; bk. 3)

  Summary: With the rebellion in full swing, fifteen year-old Nya’s loyalties are put to the ultimate test, and she is forced to choose between leading an army against the Duke or abandoning her people to save her sister.

  ISBN 978-0-06-174750-2 (trade bdg.)

  [1. Fantasy. 2. Healers—Fiction. 3. Fugitives from justice—Fiction. 4. Sisters—Fiction. 5. Orphans—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7. H22142Dar 2011

  2011001946

  [Fic]—dc22

  CIP

  AC

  EPub Edition © SEPTEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062093349

  11 12 13 14 15 CG/RRDB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FIRST EDITION

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