Havenfall (Havenfall #1)(92)

A few people around the room gasp.

“He blamed everything on the Solarian,” I say, my voice gaining strength as my anger reignites inside me. “He wanted to incite chaos so that he could assume control of Havenfall. It was the Solarian who saved us and forced the Prince to flee back to Byrn. I don’t know if he’ll return or try again. But I want to say … I want to say that I know things have been frightening lately, and I haven’t always made the right choices as Innkeeper. But we’re safe now, and I want to remind you that the principles Havenfall is built on—neutrality, nonviolence, cooperation—they still stand.”

I take a deep breath. Listen to the sound of my own heart. “If the Silver Prince does return, he will be considered an enemy. But I don’t want to make an enemy of Byrn or this delegation. If any of you want to return, now, you’re free to go. But I hope you’ll stay. Stay and help me rebuild the trust between the worlds.”

More murmurs. People exchange glances or look down at their plates. My senses seem fuzzy, the sound of the room staticky in my ears, faces blurry. But maybe that’s a good thing. If everyone looked skeptical, I don’t know if I could go on.

“We will be scrapping the Accords and crafting a new treaty starting at noon tomorrow, in the observatory. Anyone who wishes to have a voice in writing it is welcome to attend.”

Muttering, louder than before, erupts. Someone gets up from the Byrnisian table and walks from the hall. The door closing seems ten times louder than normal. My heart skips a beat, but I force myself not to react. To hold steady.

“Our goal,” I call, “is to build a new alliance that incorporates people from all the Adjacent Realms, anyone whose goal is peace. Including Haven. Including Fiordenkill. Including Byrn. And including Solaria. The war with them is long over, and the survivors have been blamed for others’ violence. Our quarrel with them is over, and now is the time to work on healing.”

As soon as I sit back down, dizzy with nervousness and exhaustion, the room erupts into chatter. It washes over me, less a collection of distinct words than a tide of feeling: anger, confusion, relief, hope.

There are so many voices at Havenfall, so many different directions this delicate balance could tip. The Silver Prince told me I wasn’t strong enough for this. That the inn would decay into chaos in my keeping. And maybe he’s right.

But I know, too, that I’m not giving up, not walking away. As long as I’m the Innkeeper, official or not, I’ll be whatever Havenfall needs me to be. I will become strong enough. Whatever it takes to make this place safe again, home again.

Home to anyone who needs it, with its doors open wide.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are so many people without whom Havenfall would not exist. Thank you to my wonderful editorial team of Cindy Loh, Hali Baumstein, and Claire Stetzer; publicity/marketing forces of nature Erica Barmash, Faye Bi, Beth Eller, Phoebe Dyer, and Courtney Griffin; fantastic production editor Diane Aronson and proofreader Katharine Wiencke (thank you for putting up with my inability to keep a timeline or outfit straight!); and to everyone else at Bloomsbury who’s had a hand in bringing this book to life. Thank you, too, to all the publishers abroad who had faith in me and Havenfall, especially Rebecca McNally, Mattea Barnes, and everyone at Bloomsbury UK; and Leo Teti and the whole Puck team. And many, many thanks to Sarah Baldwin, John Candell, Donna Mark, and Peter Strain for an absolutely gorgeous cover!

Thank you to everyone on the Glasstown Entertainment team past and present—especially the always-wise Lexa Hillyer, publicity badass Emily Berge, and editor extraordinaire Deeba Zargapur; you all have made me a better author and I appreciate you! And thank you to everyone in my extended support system, especially Stephen Barbara, Lyndsey Blessing, and Pete Knapp. I couldn’t do it without you!

I’m so grateful for my friends and colleagues navigating these writing and publishing trenches with me, including (but not limited to) the Curtis Brown crew, Celine Aenlle-Rocha, Liz Trout, Ronnie Alvarado, Mark Oshiro, Arvin Ahmadi, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Cordova, Laura Sebastian, and Patrice Caldwell. And special shout-out to Alexa Wejko; I still remember the phone conversation with you when the scattered seeds of ideas about mountains and magical hotels started to fall together into an actual story.

Thank you always and forever to my family, who are my best cheerleaders and my strongest support. You’re the best!