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Spymaster

Page 56

by Margaret Weis


  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

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8107-1 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-7795-5 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9781466877955

  Our e-books 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 e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: March 2017

 

 

 


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