A Conjuring of Light

by V. E. Schwab

  The king is coming, it seemed to say.

  The tree was beginning to warm against his back, and Holland knew, in a distant way, that he was never getting up.

  It ends, he thought—no fear, only relief, and sadness.

  He had tried. Had given everything he could. But he was so tired.

  The rustle of leaves in his ears was getting louder, and he felt himself sinking against the tree, into the embrace of something softer than metal, darker than night.

  His heart slowed, winding down like a music box, a season at its end.

  The last air left Holland’s lungs.

  And then, at last, the world breathed in.

  X

  Kell wore a coat that billowed in the wind.

  It was neither royal red, nor messenger black, nor tournament silver. This coat was a simple, woolen grey. He wasn’t quite sure if it was new or old or something in between, only that he’d never seen it before. Not until that morning when, turning his coat past black and red, he’d come across a side he didn’t recognize.

  This new coat had a high collar, and deep pockets, and sturdy black buttons that ran down the front. It was a coat for storms, and strong tides, and saints knew what else.

  He planned to find out, now that he was free.

  Freedom itself was a dizzying thing. With every step, Kell felt unmoored, as if he might drift away. But no, there was the rope, invisible but strong as steel, running between his heart and Rhy’s.

  It would stretch.

  It would reach.

  Kell made his way down the docks, passing ferries and frigates, local vessels, the Veskan impounds, and Faroan skiffs, ships of every size and shape as he searched for the Night Spire.

  He should have known she’d choose that one, with its dark hull and its blue sails.

  He made it all the way to the boat’s ramp without looking back, but there at last he faltered, and turned, taking in the palace one last time. Glass and stone, gold and light. The beating heart of London. The rising sun of Arnes.

  “Having second thoughts?”

  Kell craned his neck to see Lila leaning on the ship’s rail, spring wind tousling her short dark hair.

  “Not at all,” he said. “Just enjoying the view.”

  “Well, come on, before I decide to sail without you.” She spun away, shouting orders at the ship’s crew like a true captain, and the men aboard all listened and obeyed. They leapt to action with a smile, threw off ropes and drew up anchor as if they couldn’t wait to set sail. He couldn’t blame them. Lila Bard was a force to be reckoned with. Whether her hands were filled with knives or fire, her voice low and coaxing or lined with steel, she seemed to hold the world in her hands. Maybe she did.

  After all, she’d already taken two Londons as her own.

  She was a thief, a runaway, a pirate, a magician.

  She was fierce, and powerful, and terrifying.

  She was still a mystery.

  And he loved her.

  A knife struck the docks between Kell’s feet, and he jumped.

  “Lila!” he shouted.

  “Leaving!” she called from the deck. “And bring me back that knife,” she added. “It’s my favorite one.”

  Kell shook his head, and freed the blade from where it had lodged in the wood. “They’re all your favorite.”

  When he climbed aboard, the crew didn’t stop, didn’t bow, didn’t treat him as anything but another pair of hands, and soon the Spire pushed away from the docks, sails catching the morning breeze. His heart was thudding in his chest, and when he closed his eyes, he could feel a twin pulse, echoing his own.

  Lila came to stand beside him, and he handed back her knife. She said nothing, slipping the blade into some hidden sheath, and leaning her shoulder into his. Magic ran between them like a current, a cord, and he wondered who she would have been if she’d stayed in Grey London. If she’d never picked his pocket, never held the contents ransom for adventure.

  Maybe she would never have discovered magic.

  Or maybe she would have simply changed her world instead of his.

  Kell’s eyes went to the palace one last time, and he thought he could almost make out the shape of a man standing alone on a high balcony. At this distance, he was little more than a shadow, but Kell could see the band of gold glinting in his hair as a second figure came to stand beside the king.

  Rhy raised his hand, and so did Kell, a single unspoken word between them.

  Anoshe.

  Also by V. E. Schwab

  Note: Within series, books are best read in listed order.

  Shades of Magic

  Prepare to be dazzled by a world of parallel Londons—where magic thrives, starves, or lies forgotten, and where power can destroy just as quickly as it can create.

  A Darker Shade of Magic

  A Gathering of Shadows

  A Conjuring of Light

  The Villains

  Two rival pre-med students discover the key to superpowers, and obtain incredible abilities, but trade their souls in the process. In a world without heroes, which villain would you root for?

  Vicious

  “Warm Up” (A Tor.com Short Story)

  As Victoria Schwab

  Monsters of Verity Duology

  This Savage Song

  Our Dark Duet

  The Archived Series

  The Archived

  The Unbound

  Other Works

  The Near Witch

  “The Ash-Born Boy”

  www.tor-forge.com

  Sign up for author updates at: tor-forge.com/author/veschwab

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  V. E. SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including This Savage Song, Vicious, and the Shades of Magic series. When she’s not wandering Scottish hills or French streets she can be found in a Nashville coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. You can sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  One: World in Ruin

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  XI

  Two: City in Shadow

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  Three: Fall or Fight

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  Four: Weapons at Hand

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  Five: Ash and Atonement

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  Six: Execution

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  Seven: Setting Sail

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  Eight: Uncharted Waters

  I

  II

  III

  IV

 
; V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  Nine: Trouble

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  Ten: Blood and Binding

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  Eleven: Death At Sea

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  Twelve: Betrayal

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  Thirteen: A King’s Place

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  Fourteen: Antari

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  Fifteen: Anoshe

  I

  II

  III

  IV

  V

  VI

  VII

  VIII

  IX

  X

  Tor Books by V.E. Schwab

  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.

  A CONJURING OF LIGHT

  Copyright © 2017 by Victoria Schwab

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Will Stachle

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

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  New York, NY 10010

  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 978-0-7653-8746-2 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-7653-9415-6 (signed edition)

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8748-6 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9780765387486

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  First Edition: February 2017