A particular scroll on the desk, Julien recognized: the work Archmaster Hendin returned to whenever he could. He had questioned her again about Labyrinth Isle, for the purpose of noting down every detail she could recall. He was writing a chronicle; an account of all that had happened within that year. Though it was not yet finished, he had titled it already, letters flourishing across the page: The Poet King.
Looking up now, he fixed her with a stern look. “This had best be important.”
Julien stood on the threshold of High Master Hendin’s study, suddenly feeling awkward. She remembered standing in this same spot when this had been Elissan Diar’s chamber. The man who for a brief space had been the Poet King. In her mind’s eye she saw him and Sendara in the shaft of light.
As far as she knew, Sendara Diar was with her mother’s people, no doubt learning the airs that befit a Haveren of Deere.
“It’s important,” she said. “The carvings in the Hall of Harps—they’ve changed again.”
He looked amused, resigned. “I thought that might happen,” he said. “I will come down to see. You know it’s the reason I stayed. Knowing I might be needed, still.” He smiled. “Otherwise, Julien Imara, I would have taken the Silver Branch, used it to summon the ferry to me, and gone out to the Lost Isles. I’ve been ready for some time.”
“But not yet,” she said hopefully.
“Not yet.” He stood. “Let’s see what’s to come.”
Tor Books by Ilana C. Myer
Last Song Before Night
Fire Dance
The Poet King
About the Author
ILANA C. MYER has worked as a journalist in Jerusalem and a cultural critic for various publications. As Ilana Teitelbaum she has written book reviews and critical essays for The Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and HuffPost. She is the author of Last Song Before the Night, Fire Dance, and The Poet King. You can sign up for email updates here.
Visit her online at ilanacmyer.com | Twitter: @IlanaCT
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Part II
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Part III
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Part IV
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Tor Books by Ilana C. Myer
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.
THE POET KING
Copyright © 2020 by Ilana C. Myer
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Stephan Martiniere
Map by Jennifer Hanover
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 Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-7834-7 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6105-3 (ebook)
eISBN 9781466861053
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at [email protected].
First Edition: March 2020
The Poet King Page 33
