The Rooster
Not even gonna give that asshole a name yet, because he throws himself into a murderous rage every time I come up there for my morning eggs. I understand he’s gotta protect them, but if I can convince a dragon that I’m not the enemy, one stubborn rooster should get the picture, too.
If his attitude doesn’t improve by the next full moon, I’m gonna eat him for breakfast. The chickens will be fine without him. They can run their situation like Papyrians.
The Jaguars
There are two of ’em in the city. Brothers, I think. They sleep in the castle during the day and prowl the wilds beyond the city at night. I named the bigger one Leon, after my father. The smaller is Gregor, after my uncle.
I’m glad to have them looking after the castle for me. I don’t go up there much.
Ashlyn’s Note: Jaguars are normally solitary creatures. It’s unclear why these two have formed so close a bond, but I must assume Silas’s presence is a factor.
The Paku
I didn’t name her, because paku are delicious and I was planning to catch her for dinner on a special occasion, but a certain someone spotted her during their morning swim and named her Gertrude and now I can’t stomach the idea of eating her. Poor fish. Only thing uglier than her face is the name you gave her.
Ashlyn’s Note: I regret nothing.
The Wild Dogs
They took over the livestock pens. They like to gnaw on the pig bones that’re still lying around.
You want me to list all their names? It’s twenty dogs, that’ll take forever. My favorite is Lola—she’s the big black one with tall ears. All the other dogs are terrified of the dragon, but not her. She comes up every few days to swim in the lake. I throw sticks for her to chase down, which she never gets tired of. Yesterday, I had to swim out and haul her to shore because she ran out of energy in the middle of the damn lake.
She’d make a good war hound. But I’m glad she doesn’t have to be one.
The Howler Monkeys
That whole crew’s real ambitious. They came down from the eastern hills last month and took over the whole rampart area from the spider monkeys who’d claimed that spot originally. Their leader is the big one with the white shock of fur on his head. I call him Simeon. Yeah, yeah, save it. I’m a sentimental bastard and always have been.
Simeon and his crew better watch out, though. I can still smell the spider monkeys out west. They’re planning their revenge.
Ashlyn’s Note: I can’t tell if he’s making this up or not.
The Sloth
He lives in the big Dainwood that fell over and caved in the southern wall of the city. His heartbeat might as well be made of molasses, and he only shits once a month, on the full moon. I suspect he’s working on some kind of fecal sorcery, so I named him Kasamir.
I don’t know what he’s hoping to accomplish, Ashe. I just know he’s up to something.
Ashlyn’s Note: I keep on telling Silas that sloths typically have one bowel movement per week and the moon’s cycle has nothing to do with it, but he refuses to see reason.
He might be messing with me, or it’s possible that Silas has a few mushrooms growing in his brain from that business on Ghost Moth Island.
The Coatis
They’re a bunch of outlaws. They steal my private stash of nuts and berries constantly, and they’re always snatching turtle eggs from around the lake, which vexes me seeing as the turtle pulses help me sleep at night. I’ve asked the Nomad to murder them on several occasions, but she says they’re too small to bother with. I’d do it myself, but their meat’s stringy and gross, and I don’t kill animals that I’m not going to eat.
That makes me think, though. The only thing preventing the coatis from getting at the chickens is probably that vicious rooster. Maybe I won’t eat the crotchety bastard after all …
The Lightning Bugs
Can’t really name a bunch of insects individually, but they gather over by the castle wall, where I got shot by that ballista bolt. Whole big swarms of them, most nights. I like watching them. There’s a peace to it, watching those lights pulse, steady and slow. Kind of like the earth’s heartbeat, spread out across a bunch of tiny bugs.
Why was that a weird thing for me to have said?
Ashlyn’s Note: Again, I think I need to check Silas for mushroom growth in his brain.
The Eyelash Viper
That yellow demon lives in Cuspar’s old manse. He bit me in the throat the first time I came through there. I blacked out. Woke up outside a few hours later. Must have got dragged to safety by one of the friendlier animals. Lola, or maybe Leon. Anyway, I couldn’t eat anything without vomiting for a week.
You’re damn right I named him Vergun. I don’t care if it’s unoriginal. I also plan on tearing his head off in the near future and eating him. How’s that for unoriginal?
The Ocelot
He’s a sneaky bastard, but I respect him. He lives in one of the old dragon watchtowers, but doesn’t even bother hunting. He just creeps into the castle at night and steals leftover scraps from Leon and Gregor. Might get himself killed for that one day, but for the time being, he eats like a king and spends all day napping in his tower.
Yeah. That’s Felgor.
The Gray-Winged Nomads
Speaking of Felgor, don’t tell him that I finally bought into his nickname for the Nomad. Of course she still hates it, but if we’re doing this whole record, there’s no sense in coming up with a new name for her. You want me to say it out loud? Fine. Smokey. I call her Smokey.
The Dainwood is her main territory, but she’s been ranging further west recently, out over the Big Empty. She likes the smell of the salt, and the cool of the breeze. I do, too. After you return to Floodhaven, we’re thinking about making a trip across the Big Empty together, just to see if there really are fire-breathing dragons on the other side. We’re both skeptical.
Don’t worry, we’ll be back before your next visit. I promise.
Her sons? I named them Rowan and Alfonso.
Unlike her own name, she likes those quite a bit.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I must first thank my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, and my editor, Christopher Morgan, for their wisdom and guidance every step of the way.
I would also like to thank Matt Rusin, Desirae Friesen, Laura Etzkorn, Molly Majumder, and the talented team at Tor, as well as Bella Pagan, Georgia Summers, Jamie-Lee Nardone, Rebecca Needes, and everyone at Tor UK.
Steven Brand deserves a massive shout-out for giving the Dragons of Terra series a wonderful voice.
A big thanks to the crew of Old Chicago, for providing liquid inspiration on many an afternoon.
I would like to acknowledge the authors, book reviewers, and digital friends who have supported me along the way. Your enthusiasm and support have meant the world to me. Specifically, I would like to thank Nils Shukla, Mike Shackle, Angus Watson, Sebastien de Castell, John Gwynne, Peter McLean, Django Wexler, David Walters, Jenn and Mike Lyons, Petrik Leo, Andrew and the Quill to Live Team, and Alex at Spells and Spaceships.
Lola—my brave and stalwart German shepherd—once again came up with most of the good ideas in this book, while also defending the household from squirrels 24/7. Quite the feat.
Lastly, I owe an enormous debt to Jess Townsend. Not only did she tolerate and support me while I worked on this book, but she did it during a time in our lives when we were essentially trapped in a house together due to a global pandemic. Without you, none of this would mean anything.
ALSO BY BRIAN NASLUND
Blood of an Exile
Sorcery of a Queen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRIAN NASLUND is an American fantasy author based in Boulder, Colorado. Blood of an Exile was his debut novel, and the first in the Dragons of Terra series. He grew up in Maryland and studied English at Skidmore College in New York. Naslund is now a product director for a tech company, and first started writing about dragons to escape the crushing boredom of h
is incredibly long bus commute. When he’s not writing, he’s usually griping about video games on Twitter, hiking with his dog, Lola, or whitewater kayaking in the mountains. The last activity makes his mother very nervous. You can connect with him at briannaslund.com, or sign up for email updates here
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
PART I
1. Private Rigar
2. Vera
3. Bershad
4. Ashlyn
5. Cabbage
6. Vera
7. Private Rigar
8. Cabbage
9. Castor
10. Vera
11. Bershad
12. Jolan
13. Nola
14. Bershad
15. Vera
16. Cabbage
17. Vera
18. Cabbage
19. Vera
20. Cabbage
21. Ashlyn
22. Cabbage
23. Vera
24. Ashlyn
25. Acolyte 799
PART II
26. Vera
27. Nola
28. Bershad
29. Cabbage
30. Garret
31. Nola
32. Castor
33. Garret
34. Jolan
35. Castor
36. Jolan
37. Garret
38. Jolan
39. Castor
40. Nola
41. Vera
42. Bershad
43. Jolan
44. Ashlyn
45. Bershad
46. Nola
47. Ashlyn
48. Bershad
49. Nola
50. Bershad
51. Nola
52. Bershad
53. Nola
54. Bershad
55. Nola
56. Castor
57. Nola
58. Castor
59. Bershad
60. Nola
61. Bershad
62. Castor
63. Nola
64. Bershad
65. Nola
66. Bershad
67. Vera
68. Castor
PART III
69. Acolyte 799
70. Vera
71. Jolan
72. Vera
73. Bershad
74. Vera
75. Jolan
76. Castor
77. Vera
78. Bershad
79. Ashlyn
80. Garret
81. Bershad
82. Garret
83. Vera
84. Castor
PART IV
85. Bershad
86. Ashlyn
87. Vera
88. Jolan
89. Bershad
90. Castor
91. Brutus
92. Cabbage
93. Vera
94. Cabbage
95. Castor
96. Bershad
97. Cabbage
98. Jolan
99. Ashlyn
100. Vera
101. Jolan
102. Brutus
103. Acolyte 799
104. Brutus
105. Cabbage
106. Vera
107. Ashlyn
108. Cabbage
109. Garret
110. Jolan
111. Bershad
112. Jolan
113. Brutus
114. Ashlyn
115. Osyrus Ward
116. Bershad
117. Ashlyn
ONE MONTH LATER
118. Jolan
119. Vera
120. Cabbage
121. Jolan
122. Ashlyn
The Animals of Deepdale
Acknowledgments
Also by Brian Naslund
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
FURY OF A DEMON
Copyright © 2021 by Brian Naslund
All rights reserved.
Map by Jennifer Hanover
Cover art by Larry Rostant
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
120 Broadway
New York, NY 10271
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Naslund, Brian, author.
Title: Fury of a demon / Brian Naslund.
Description: First Edition. | New York: Tor, 2021. | “A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
Identifiers: LCCN 2021010724 (print) | LCCN 2021010725 (ebook) | ISBN 9781250309709 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250309693 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781250309686 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3614.A757 F87 2021 (print) | LCC PS3614.A757 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010724
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021010725
eISBN 9781250309686
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First Edition: 2021
Fury of a Demon Page 54
