She heard the watchman call the hours. They passed slowly and all too fast. At sunset, the guard opened the door and placed food on the floor. She ignored it. Not long after, he opened the door and took it away.
Night fell. The hammering stopped. Kate grew cold and sick with fear.
The gallows was finished.
The watchman continued to call the hours. Kate sat unmoving, staring into the dark.
This is what death will be, she thought. Unending dark. Unless, as the saints said, death for the sinner is burning forever in the torments of hell.
At midnight, she heard footsteps and the key rattling in the lock.
“The priest is here,” called the guard.
“Tell him to go away,” said Kate. Her mouth was dry, her voice cracked. “I am not a believer. I don’t want a priest.”
The door opened. Light flared. Not one priest, but two, wearing brown robes, stood framed in the light.
“I am Brother Gregory. Brother Sebastian and I have come to pray with you, my child,” said one of the priests.
“I don’t want your prayers!” Kate yelled at him. “Just leave me alone to die in peace.”
“Go in to the poor girl, Brother Sebastian,” said the priest. “I will keep the corporal company, if that is permitted.”
“I would be grateful, Brother,” said the guard. “Here, take the lantern.”
The priest took the lantern and shuffled inside. The guard shut the door behind him. The priest lifted the lantern to look for her, and the light hit Kate in full in the eyes, half blinding her. The light was painful and she turned her face to the wall.
“I said go away!” she mumbled.
“But I have come to save you, my child,” said the priest.
His voice was soft, low, persuasive, and something about that voice was familiar.
Kate raised her head and looked.
Into striking blue eyes.
Books by MARGARET WEIS and ROBERT KRAMMES
DRAGON BRIGADE
Shadow Raiders
Storm Riders*
The Seventh Sigil*
DRAGON CORSAIRS
Spymaster
Oath Breaker* +
Kingmaker* +
*A TOR BOOK
+FORTHCOMING
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Margaret Weis attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, graduating in 1970 with a B.A. in literature and creative writing. In 1983, she moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to work as a book editor for TSR, Inc., producers of the Dungeons & Dragons® role-playing game. She is the author or coauthor of a number of New York Times bestselling series, including The Dragonlance® Chronicles, Darksword, Rose of the Prophet, Star of the Guardians, The Death Gate Cycle, Sovereign Stone, Dragonvarld, and the Lost Chronicles. She lives in Wisconsin with her four dogs. Discover more at Visit her online at www.margaretweis.com, or sign up for email updates here.
Robert Krammes lives in southwest Ohio with his wife, Mary, and their two cats. He is a longtime member of The Society for Creative Anachronism, an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan, and a backyard bird-watcher.
The two have also collaborated on the Dragon Brigades trilogy, Shadow Raiders, Storm Riders, and The Seventh Sigil. They are currently working on Oath Breaker, the second novel in the Dragon Corsairs trilogy. You can sign up for email updates here.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The description of the Pride of Haever in Chapter Seven is an example of an actual description of real ships taken from Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping. The earliest surviving publication dates from 1764. Lloyd’s Register “describes, classifies, and registers vessels according to certain criteria of physical structure and equipment, to enable underwriters, shipbrokers, and shipowners more easily to assess commercial risk and to negotiate marine insurance rates.” Source: http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/ResLloydsRegister.htm
Miss Amelia’s prized possession in chapter thirty-eight is her book of maps. The description of this book is taken from an actual book published in October 1746 by John Pine and John Tinney.
The book was titled A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster and Borough of Southwark; with the Contiguous Buildings; From an Actual Survey Taken by John Rocque Land-Surveyor, and Engraved by John Pine, Bluemantle Pursuivant at Arms and Chief Engraver of Seals, &c. to His Majesty.
“This Plan will be contained in 24 Sheets of the best Imperial Paper, being near 13 Feet in Length, and 6 Feet and an Half in Depth, and will extend from West to East, on the North Side, from beyond Mary-bone Turnpike, by Tottenham-Court, the New-River-Head, Hoxton and Part of Hackney to near Bow: From thence, Southerly, by the Easternmost Parts of Mile-End and Lime-House, cross the River Thames to Deptford Road; from whence the Southern Side will extend Westerly, by Newington and Vaux-Hall, to that Part of Surrey which is opposite to Chelsea-College; which Building, together with some Part of Knights-Bridge and Hyde-Park, will be included in the Western Limit.”
Such a book would have been of immense value to an investigative journalist! Source: http://www.locatinglondon.org/static/Rocque.html
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Family Tree
Map
Prologue
Book 1
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Book 2
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Book 3
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Books by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
SPYMASTER
Copyright © 2017 by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Didier Graffet
Cover photography by Jeffrey
Fuqua
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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ISBN 978-0-7653-8107-1 (hardcover)
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First Edition: March 2017
Spymaster Page 56
