{"id":949396,"date":"2025-12-31T22:50:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=441578"},"modified":"2025-12-31T22:50:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T22:50:18","slug":"sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/","title":{"rendered":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Sabaa Tahir<\/a>\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia, Elias, and Helene wrapped up so wonderfully, what other stories could there be to tell \u2014 and could they ever live up to the expectations the Ember quartet set?<\/p>\n

But Heir<\/a><\/em>, the first book in a new series set in Ember universe (out Oct. 1), is proof that there\u2019s so much left to explore both within and beyond the Empire\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

Picking up 20 years following the events of A Sky Beyond the Storms<\/em>, Heir <\/em>follows three new characters to the Ember universe: Quil, Helene\u2019s nephew and the crown prince who\u2019s terrified of turning into his father Marcus; Sirsha, a skilled but outcast tracker hired to find a killer murdering children throughout the Empire; and Aiz, an orphan from the impoverished nation Kegar who sets out to avenge and liberate her people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a joy and a challenge to return to the familiar world of An Ember in the Ashes, while trying to write a story that felt different, exciting and new,\u201d Tahir told Polygon over email. \u201cI loved following\u00a0these characters, getting into their heads, getting them in trouble.\u00a0I hope readers will enjoy their adventures, banter, snark (and, yes, heartache) as much as I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Heir<\/em> is set up to be perfectly accessible to newcomers, it features plenty of Easter eggs and returning faces \u2014 including, of course, Laia, Elias, and Helene. But as much fun as it is to check in on old favorites, Heir <\/em>carves out a unique identity all its own, while still staying true to the heartfelt and heart-wrenching storytelling fans have come to expect of Tahir.<\/p>\n

To get a deeper look at Heir<\/em>, below you can read the entire first chapter, which introduces you to the cunning and determined Aiz. Heir <\/em>hits shelves Oct. 1 and is available to pre-order now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

1<\/h2>\n

Aiz<\/h4>\n

Kegar, the Southern Continent<\/h4>\n

Aiz wished she didn\u2019t hate her enemies with such fervor, for it gave them power over her. But she was a gutter child, and the Kegari gutters bred tough, bitter creatures, ready to stab or scheme or slink into the shadows\u2014depending on what the moment required.<\/p>\n

What the gutters didn\u2019t offer was luck. Only a divine entity could bestow good fortune.<\/p>\n

So, with dawn approaching, Aiz crept through the hushed, wood- beamed halls of the cloister and out to its stone courtyard. Her thin shoes and ragged skirt did little to protect her against the foot of snow that had fallen in the night. Still, she shoved forward, grimacing into the biting wind that whipped off the mountain spires and stole her breath. Perhaps it would steal her anger, too. Today, of all days, she needed a clear head.<\/p>\n

For today, Aiz bet-Dafra would commit her first murder.<\/p>\n

The orphans of the cloister and the clerics who cared for them still slept. Lessons began after sunrise. Kegar\u2014a crowded city of a quarter million\u2014was quiet beyond the cloister walls. Aiz was alone, accompanied only by her fury as she regarded the blackened timbers on one side of the courtyard. The orphans\u2019 wing, still in ruins ten years after it burned to the ground.<\/p>\n

Her chest tightened. She could hear the screams of the children who\u2019d died there. She dug her nails into her thigh, into the ridge of skin beneath her patched skirt. Mostly, she ignored her scars. But some days, they still burned.<\/p>\n

Your anger will be the death of you<\/em>, Cero, her oldest friend, told her years ago. He\u2019d seen her lose her temper too often to think any different. You must control it. Get what you need. Forget the rest.<\/em><\/p>\n

She needed vengeance. Justice. She needed her plan to work.<\/p>\n

Aiz stopped before the statue at the center of the yard: a woman wearing bell-sleeved robes and looking toward the mountains. Her stone face had hollow cheeks, thin lips, and a heavy brow; her hair was swept back from a high forehead. She wore a headdress carved with a beaming half- sun. Aiz liked to imagine that she and the woman in the statue had the same brown hair and light eyes.<\/p>\n

The woman had many names. Vessel of the Fount. First Queen of the Crossing. But here in Dafra slum, where so many were orphaned by military drafts, illness, and starvation, she was Mother Div.<\/p>\n

The statue\u2019s plaque was pocked and weathered. But Aiz had learned the words as a child: Blessed is Div, Savior of Kegar, who led our people to refuge in these mountain spires after a great cataclysm engulfed our motherland across the sea.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMother Div, hear me.\u201d Aiz clasped her hands in supplication. \u201cDon\u2019t let me fail. I\u2019ve waited too long. If I\u2019m imprisoned or tortured, so be it. If I\u2019m killed, it is your will. But I must succeed first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strange, Aiz knew, to ask the patron of light and kindness to bless a murder. But Mother Div loved orphans, too. She\u2019d have wanted revenge for those killed in the fire. Aiz was sure of it.<\/p>\n

A Sail passed overhead, its shadow like that of a giant bird, before winging off to the north. Tiral bet-Hiwa, the highborn commander of the air squadrons, sent patrols over the slums. A reminder that the Snipes who lived here were being watched. And a promise that, if they were lucky, they could join the watchers. Aiz observed the aircraft for a long time, and jumped when she heard a step behind her.<\/p>\n

Sister Noa crunched through the snow, her frayed woolen skirt dragging. \u201cLight of the Spires, little one,\u201d the old woman greeted Aiz.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong may it guide us,\u201d Aiz responded.<\/p>\n

Sister Noa lifted a brown, wrinkled hand to Mother Div\u2019s stone forehead before wrapping her own scarf around Aiz\u2019s neck, waving off her protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be working at the airfield,\u201d Noa said. \u201cWhile I laze.\u201d \u201cDrinking tea with biscuits,\u201d Aiz said, though the cloister was too poor for both. \u201cBossing your servants about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noa smiled at the lie, dark eyes sparkling beneath the paling snow clouds. As a cleric in Dafra slum\u2019s biggest cloister, she\u2019d be on her feet all day, no better than a servant herself\u2014overseeing lessons, running the kitchens, ensuring the care of any who came to the cloister for aid. And shivering all the while, no doubt.<\/p>\n

She smoothed Aiz\u2019s hair back with the same hands that had smacked her when she stole barberries and held her when she screamed at the death of her mother. Noa seemed old even then. Now she was gnarled and wrinkled as a thorn-pine.<\/p>\n

The cleric peered at Aiz. \u201cYou\u2019re troubled, little love. Tell me a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI dream of a Kegari spring.\u201d Aiz smiled at the familiar question. \u201cAnd a belly full of siltfish curry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMay Mother Div make it so,\u201d Sister Noa said. \u201cThe sun rises. Get to the airfield. If you ride with Cero, you\u2019ll arrive before the flightmasters give you a hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noa nodded to the cloister gate. Beyond, a horse stamped its hooves in the cold. The figure beside it paced in circles, equally impatient. Cero. The calm that had entered Aiz\u2019s heart at Noa\u2019s touch evaporated, replaced by a memory: A night six months ago, before a new crop of pilots was announced. Waiting with Cero in his quarters to find out if they\u2019d been chosen for the elite Sail squadron. Aiz had paced from cot to window, unable to sit still until Cero took her hand. His touch elicited a spark, a kiss, confusion followed by delight and laughter and hope. <\/p>\n

And then the morning after, Cero became a pilot and Aiz became nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why he lives here,\u201d Aiz said. \u201cTaking up a bed. Eating our food. He can quarter with the other pilots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cloister is his home,\u201d Sister Noa said. \u201cYou are his home. Don\u2019t punish him because Mother Div saw fit to make him a pilot. Now, get moving, love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiz tucked the scarf back around Noa\u2019s short white curls. She needed it more than Aiz did. \u201cGo inside, Sister. Warm your bones for a bit longer.\u201d When Sister Noa had shuffled away, Aiz regarded Cero, waiting beyond the cloister gate. He hadn\u2019t spotted her yet.<\/p>\n

She turned away and snuck out the back.<\/p>\n

**<\/p>\n

By the time Aiz arrived, the airfield and its runways bustled with pilots, flightmasters, engineers, and signalers. Aiz\u2019s fellow drudges scurried amid the chaos, lowborn Snipes like her hauling buckets and poles and ice encrusted flight leathers.<\/p>\n

Beyond the airfield, the Sail-building yard was equally busy, crowded with scaffolds and skeins of twine, reams of canvas, and stacks of cured reeds. The Aerie stood beside it, casting a long, blue shadow. Like many of Kegar\u2019s buildings, it was slope-roofed, made of wood and stone and shaped like the slash of a quill. It housed hundreds of pilots and drudges. <\/p>\n

\u201cSnipe!\u201d A flightmaster grabbed Aiz\u2019s elbow and dragged her to the stables. He was a Hawk, a highborn, like most of the Aerie\u2019s bosses. \u201cMuck out the stalls. Then report to hangar one. A dozen Sails need waterproofing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiz sighed and grabbed a pitchfork. Stable work was stenchsome, but at least the building was well constructed, with stone walls that kept away the wind and wide doorways that offered a clear view of the airfield.<\/p>\n

Out on the launching pads, dozens of Sails awaited pilots. From here, the craft looked like piles of sticks and canvas, rustling in the wind. But Aiz knew better.<\/p>\n

Every Kegari child, regardless of birth, was tested for windsmithing skill at age fourteen. When Aiz had shown a talent for it, the flightmasters put her in a Sail, and she was sent to the Aerie for training.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d never forget how it felt in the single-seater cockpit: The cool bowl of Loha, the metal that flowed into liquid at her touch, fusing with her hands before shooting out through the Sail\u2019s hollow frame; the sight of the curved, triangular wings lifting like the pinions of a coastal gull. The way her blood fizzed at the caress of the wind\u2014before she inevitably spiraled to the earth, unable to control her magic.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d spent years trying to control it. She\u2019d failed.<\/p>\n

Now, face hot with envy, Aiz watched Sail after Sail spring to life, canvas stretching tight as the reed scaffolding filled with living metal. The Sail pilots would wing north across the mountains to drop bombs on distant foreign villages. The waiting Kegari army would pillage grain and goods to send home. And thus, Kegar would survive another season. Aiz\u2019s people had long ago stopped producing enough food to feed their own. For the last century, the raids were ever present, ever essential. So were the pilots who led them.<\/p>\n

Which meant that whether you were born a low Snipe, a middle-class Sparrow, or a highborn Hawk, becoming a pilot guaranteed food, shel- ter, clothing, training. It meant a life. A future.<\/p>\n

Reins jangled and Aiz whirled to see Cero leading his mount, Tregan, into the stable. His dark hair was scraped back into a high bun. Purple smudges beneath his eyes made his green irises look black. In blue-scaled flight leathers, he managed beauty and gravity, even as he leveled a stare at Aiz. <\/p>\n

\u201cI waited for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiz shrugged and pitched a particularly large scoop of filthy hay over her shoulder\u2014barely missing Cero. \u201cYour problem, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpires, Aiz, but you\u2019re difficult.\u201d Cero, usually as emotionless as the mountains, sounded almost annoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re cranky.\u201d She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. \u201cDon\u2019t see why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, because I\u2019m a pilot.\u201d Cero walked Tregan to her stall and she snapped at him. Aiz smirked. The mare had always liked Aiz better than Cero.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving my basic needs met only costs subservience to the Triarchy,\u201d Cero went on, \u201cand offering my life to a Spires-forsaken megalomaniac who shouldn\u2019t oversee a dog kennel, let alone an army.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut your gob!\u201d Aiz looked around frantically. The stables were empty, but that didn\u2019t mean no one had heard. Lord Tiral bet-Hiwa led the flight squadrons. He was also heir to one of the three Triarchs who ruled Kegar. His family had spies everywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s he going to do if he hears me?\u201d Cero said, leaning against the thick wall of the stables. \u201cThrow me in the Tohr? The Sail squadron leaves tomorrow. Tiral needs me dropping bombs on innocent villagers, not moldering in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cero sounded bitter, not proud. His ability to windsmith\u2014to bend the air currents to his will\u2014was prodigious. That\u2019s why he\u2019d been chosen to pilot a Sail.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t expected that Aiz would be left behind. But while Cero could tame the wind, Aiz enraged it. While Cero lifted a Sail into a precise spiral, Aiz tore the canvas wings to shreds. She could shift a scent and call a breeze, but any more than that and the wind defied her.<\/p>\n

No point in grieving what could have been. Aiz had found another purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe deserves our respect.\u201d Aiz spat out the lie. What Tiral deserved was a knife to the jugular\u2014which was exactly what Aiz planned on giving him in a few hours. But if Cero guessed Aiz\u2019s plot, he\u2019d try to stop her. Tell her it was too dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiral\u2019s our fleet commander.\u201d Aiz thought of the knife in her skirt, sharpened in the darkness of the cloister\u2019s forgotten tunnels. \u201cWithout him, we\u2019d all starve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t care about us.\u201d Cero fixed his eyes on Aiz and she found it difficult to look away. \u201cBe wary of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aiz went still. Cero never spoke idly. He must have seen her entering Tiral\u2019s quarters. Or leaving. She thought of what Tiral had said months ago, when Aiz first allowed him to think he was seducing her. Keep our secrets to yourself, little Snipe. Wouldn\u2019t want anything to happen to you.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Cero\u2019s expression was severe enough that Aiz wondered if there was something between her friend and Tiral. She\u2019d often been clueless about Cero\u2019s entanglements. He\u2019d kept an affair with a seamstress so quiet that Aiz didn\u2019t learn of it until the woman showed up at the cloister, demanding to see him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care who you dally with, Aiz.\u201d Cero\u2019s detachment stung. \u201cBut don\u2019t make assumptions about Tiral. The only person he cares about is himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he spoke, he spun a ring on his finger. Aiz used to have one like it. An aaj. One of Cero\u2019s many creations. It let them communicate without speaking. She\u2019d returned it to Cero after he\u2019d become a pilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cDone lecturing?\u201d She let her voice ice over and scooped more hay. \u201cI have work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shutter went down behind Cero\u2019s eyes. He left the stable. Aiz knew she\u2019d hurt him, which both upset and satisfied her. But she couldn\u2019t dwell on Cero. She only had time for one man today.<\/p>\n

Waiting was torturous, the hours crawling by in a blur of mucking hay, waterproofing Sails, and dodging the flightmasters\u2019 blows. Eventually, the rose-gilded snow clouds bumped along south and the wind\u2019s screams quieted to whispers. Night fell. Aiz was helping to light the airfield\u2019s lamps when one of the signalers called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncoming!\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed to the snow-drenched spires that encircled the capital, jutting into the sky like triumphant fists. The moon highlighted the approaching Sails, and Aiz\u2019s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet those lamps lit, you Spires-forsaken rats!\u201d the closest flight- master roared, whip flashing. Within moments, dozens of signalers flooded the field, blue fire held high.<\/p>\n

The Sails landed with well-practiced precision. All but Lord Tiral\u2019s, which was the largest; it turned on a wingtip not once but twice as he surveyed the squadron. He didn\u2019t spiral down until the rest of the fleet had landed.<\/p>\n

Aiz hurried from pad to pad, collecting goggles and caps and empty bowls of Loha. All the while, she watched Tiral for a weakness. Tiredness or an injury. Something that would make it easier to stick a knife in him. The only oddity she saw was familiar: his hand strayed to the thin book always tucked into his belt. When she\u2019d first spotted it months ago, Aiz thought it was the Nine Sacred Tales, the parables Mother Div told to guide her people. Or if not that, a journal or a record book. But as best she could tell, it was a volume of children\u2019s stories, useless to her unless she wanted to beat him to death with it.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it was a bit small for that.<\/p>\n

As Tiral strode around his Sail, pointing out the damage it had taken to the flightmasters, Aiz paced in the shadows, consumed with hate.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d never understand why Mother Div gave Tiral windsmithing skill when he spat on everything she stood for. When he orphaned child- ren by conscripting their parents and sneered at the clerics who carried out good works in Mother Div\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

Tiral looked up, as if sensing Aiz\u2019s ire. He was twenty, broad-shouldered, of medium height, with pale hair and a crooked nose that made him memorable instead of ugly. His saurian gaze fixed on her. It took all Aiz\u2019s effort to keep her face placid. He nodded once.<\/p>\n

She knew what he wanted. For once, she was happy to give it to him. <\/p>\n

Aiz made her way to the Aerie, past the forges where metallurgists alloyed the Loha used for the Sails, wrinkling her nose at the stench. Rumor was that their supply of Loha\u2014husbanded for a thousand years\u2014was running out.<\/p>\n

Without Loha there would be no Sails. Without Sails, the raids would fail. Then they\u2019d all starve, Hawk and Snipe alike.<\/p>\n

Aiz entered the Aerie from a side door and made for the bathing chambers. In the past six months, she\u2019d learned to navigate the labyrinth of servants\u2019 passages with ease. On her way to Tiral\u2019s room, she saw others like her. Dead-eyed Snipes in revealing robes, doing what they needed to survive. They didn\u2019t acknowledge each other.<\/p>\n

She wound through the innards of the keep to the secret door that led into Tiral\u2019s room. The stones of the tunnels were ancient, and she shifted one aside and hid her knife behind it. Then she knocked on the door thrice.<\/p>\n

He made her wait. Unsurprising. He enjoyed the idea of Aiz shivering in the tunnel, not knowing if he\u2019d allow her in or not. Aiz had worked hard to cultivate the image of a besotted Snipe. On the nights he left her outside, she sniveled and pleaded.<\/p>\n

Pig. He thought he had so much power. Tonight, he\u2019d learn different.<\/p>\n

Soon, she heard movement. The door opened, and dim blue light spilled into the passage. Tiral\u2019s pale skin gleamed, like he was part specter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAiz,\u201d he purred, and took her by the arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lord,\u201d she whispered. Say it. Say it one last time<\/em>. \u201cThank you for allowing me in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m nothing if not generous, Snipe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lord Tiral drew her through his living quarters, the fur settees strewn with boots and fresh flight leathers. She caught a glimpse of herself in his mirror\u2014small-boned and light-skinned, her dark hair spilling to her lower back, her blue irises seeming to glow. He nudged her onto his bed. Aiz\u2019s head sank into the goose-feather pillow that could fetch a week\u2019s worth of grain.<\/p>\n

At least he was quick. Like many of Aiz\u2019s bed partners, he fell into an untroubled sleep after their coupling. Aiz observed him, her lip curling. To their people, Tiral was a brave fleet commander. But to Aiz, he was the murderous child who, years ago, snuck into the cloister in the dead of night to set fire to the orphans\u2019 quarters. He\u2019d listened to them scream as they burned, all because they\u2019d made him look a fool in front of his father during an official visit.<\/p>\n

The clerics, Sister Noa included, had gone before the Triarchy. Begged those three crooked monsters for justice. Even Dovan, the High Cleric of Kegar and leader of its many cloisters, made an impassioned plea.<\/p>\n

The Triarchy did nothing. In time everyone forgot about the dead orphans\u2014even Cero, who\u2019d nearly died himself that night.<\/p>\n

Aiz hadn\u2019t forgotten.<\/p>\n

She rose from the bed, donned her shirt and skirt, and moved to the passageway for the knife. She was nearly there when Tiral stirred. Aiz swung toward his desk, feigning interest in his things. If he awoke, he\u2019d only see her snooping. Amid the scrolls and quills and military orders, her gaze snagged on a book. The<\/em> book.<\/p>\n

She ran her fingers across the cover. The leather was slick, like the skin of a long-submerged sea creature. The imprint on the cover was triangular and reminded her of the tangled forests of the Spires. The hair on Aiz\u2019s neck rose, though she didn\u2019t know why. She opened the book.<\/p>\n

The Falcon and The Thief<\/em><\/p>\n

In the abiding evenfall of the northern climes, a lone falcon winged his way home after a long and\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n

Bah. Just a story<\/em>. Aiz closed the book, listening for Tiral\u2019s snores before opening the passageway and retrieving her blade.<\/p>\n

The bed dipped as she returned to it, and Tiral muttered in his sleep. Aiz wrapped her fist tight around the knife. Get what you need. Forget the rest.<\/em> The faster the better. Right in the throat. Cero had long ago taught her where to strike to kill a man. No one can keep us safe all the time<\/em>, he\u2019d said. Not even the clerics.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the name of Mother Div,\u201d she whispered, \u201cI take my vengeance.\u201d Aiz brought the blade down.<\/p>\n

And gasped when Tiral\u2019s hand shot out, catching her wrist with breathtaking swiftness. His eyes opened, and he smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Aiz,\u201d he said. \u201cYou poor, stupid fool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia, Elias, and Helene wrapped up so wonderfully, what other stories could there be to tell \u2014 and could they ever live up to the expectations the Ember quartet set? But Heir, the first book in a new series set in Ember universe (out Oct. 1), is proof that there\u2019s so much left to explore both within and beyond the Empire\u2019s borders. Picking up 20 years following the events of A Sky Beyond the Storms, Heir follows three new characters to the Ember universe: Quil, Helene\u2019s nephew and the crown prince who\u2019s terrified of turning into his father…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":949397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-949396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"\nSabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/cropped-arcader-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"19 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"headline\":\"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3776,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Polygon\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"description\":\"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png\",\"caption\":\"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"description\":\"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Arcade News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cricketgames.tv\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/author\\\/arcade-news\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News","description":"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News","og_description":"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,","og_url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/","og_site_name":"Arcade News","article_published_time":"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":320,"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/cropped-arcader-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Arcade News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Arcade News","Est. reading time":"19 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/"},"author":{"name":"Arcade News","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"headline":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter","datePublished":"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/"},"wordCount":3776,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png","articleSection":["Polygon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/","name":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter | Arcader News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png","datePublished":"2025-12-31T22:50:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"description":"When Sabaa Tahir\u2019s Ember in the Ashes quartet ended in 2020, we never thought we\u2019d get the chance to return to the Empire. With the journeys of Laia,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter.png","caption":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/sabaa-tahir-returns-to-the-ember-universe-in-heir-read-the-first-chapter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sabaa Tahir returns to the Ember universe in Heir \u2014 read the first chapter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/","name":"Arcade News","description":"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839","name":"Arcade News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Arcade News"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/cricketgames.tv"],"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/author\/arcade-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=949396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1445926,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949396\/revisions\/1445926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/949397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}