The temple gongs rang out over the Holy City at that moment. Sweet music sounded over the Imperial Precinct, as the priests of the Twenty Greater Gods sang their devotions at evening. Officially, the Day of Appeals was at an end.
Kevin drew back and smiled upon the Lady who had never for a day lost her hold upon his heart. ‘You are mistress of far more than this Empire,’ he said, laughing, and the cheers from the Lords of Tsuranuanni did not stop as he led her and his Emperor son, hand in hand, down from the high dais.
Acknowledgments
In the course of five years, in writing three novels together, we are indebted to the following people without whose contributions the work would have not been as rewarding, for either ourselves or the reader. Our thanks:
To the Friday Nighters, who started it all way back when R.E.F. asked where Midkemia was, thereby making it impossible not to write the story.
To our editors along the way, Adrian Zackheim, Jim Moser, Pat LoBrutto, and Janna Silverstein, for turning us loose.
To Elain Chubb, for continuity and finish.
To so many people at our publishing houses who care more than the job requires and work above and beyond the call of duty, those gone on to other places and those still with us.
To Jonathan Matson for being more than an agent.
To Mike Floerkey for spreading the word and technical suggestions.
And to Kathlyn Starbuck and Don Maitz for putting up with R.E.F. and J.W. respectively while we were impossible to live with for the last six years. The fact we’re still married speaks volumes for your patience and love.
Raymond E. Feist
Janny Wurts
San Diego, CA/Sarasota, FL
June 1991
About the Author
RAYMOND E. FEIST was born and raised in southern California. He was educated at the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated with honours in Communication Arts. He is the author of nine bestselling and critically acclaimed series: The Riftwar Saga, The Empire Trilogy (with Janny Wurts), Krondor’s Sons, The Serpentwar Saga, The Riftwar Legacy, Legends of the Riftwar, Conclave of the Shadows, Darkwar Saga, Demonwar Saga and Chaoswar Saga.
JANNY WURTS is the author of numerous successful fantasy novels, including the acclaimed Cycle of Fire trilogy. She is also co-author, with Raymond E. Feist, of the worldwide bestselling Empire series. Her skill as a horsewoman, offshore sailor and musician is reflected in her novels. She is also a talented artist and illustrates her own covers. Janny lives in Florida, USA.
Her website can be found at: www.paravia.com/JannyWurts
Also by the Author
BY RAYMOND E. FEIST AND JANNY WURTS
Daughter of the Empire
Servant of the Empire
Mistress of the Empire
BY RAYMOND E. FEIST
Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon
Faerie Tale
Prince of the Blood
The King’s Buccaneer
Shadow of a Dark Queen
Rise of a Merchant Prince
Rage of a Demon King
Shards of a Broken Crown
Krondor: The Betrayal
Krondor: The Assassins
Krondor: Tear of the Gods
Talon of the Silver Hawk
King of Foxes
Exile’s Return
Flight of the Nighthawks
Into a Dark Realm
Wrath of a Mad God
Rides a Dread Legion
At the Gates of Darkness
A Kingdom Besieged
A Crown Imperilled
With William R. Fortschen:
Honoured Enemy
With Joel Rosenburg:
Murder in LaMut
With Steve Stirling:
Jimmy the Hand
BY JANNY WURTS
The Cycle of Fire Trilogy:
Stormwarden
Keeper of the Keys
Shadowfane
Sorcerer’s Legacy
Master of Whitestorm
That Way Lies Camelot
To Ride Hell’s Chasm
The Wars of Light and Shadow:
The Curse of the Mistwraith
The Ships of Merior
Warhost of Vastmark
Fugitive Prince
Grand Conspiracy
Peril’s Gate
Traitor’s Knot
Copyright
Voyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77–85 Fulham Palace Road,
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpervoyagerbooks.com
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1992
Copyright © Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts 1992
The Authors asserts the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.
EPub Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780007375653
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East – 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
About the Author
RAYMOND E. FEIST was born and raised in southern California. He was educated at the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated with honours in Communication Arts. He is the author of nine bestselling and critically acclaimed series: The Riftwar Saga, The Empire Trilogy (with Janny Wurts), Krondor’s Sons, The Serpentwar Saga, The Riftwar Legacy, Legends of the Riftwar, Conclave of the Shadows, Darkwar Saga, Demonwar Saga and Chaoswar Saga.
JANNY WURTS is the author of numerous successful fantasy novels, including the acclaimed Cycle of Fire trilogy. She is also co-author, with Raymond E. Feist, of the worldwide bestselling Empire series. Her skill as a horsewoman, offshore sailor and musician is reflected in her novels. She is also a talented artist and illustrates her own covers. Janny lives in Florida, USA.
Her website can be found at: www.paravia.com/JannyWurts
Also by the Author
BY RAYMOND E. FEIST AND JANNY WURTS
Daughter of the Empire
Servant of the Empire
Mistress of the Empire
BY RAYMOND E. FEIST
Magician
Silverthorn
A Darkness at Sethanon
Faerie Tale
Prince of the Blood
The King’s Buccaneer
Shadow of a Dark Queen
Rise of a Merchant Prince
Rage of a Demon King
Shards of a Broken Crown
Krondor: The Betrayal
Krondor: The Assassins
Krondor: Tear of the Gods
Talon of the Silver Hawk
King of Foxes
Exile’s Return
Flight of the Nighthawks
Into a Dark Realm
Wrath of a Mad God
Rides a Dread Legion
At the Gates of Darkness
A Kingdom Besieged
A Crown Imperilled
With William R. Fortschen:
Honoured Enemy
With Joel Rosenburg:
Murder in LaMut
With Steve Stirling:
Jimmy the Hand
BY JANNY WURTS
The Cycle of Fire Trilogy:
Stormwarden
Keeper of the Keys
Shadowfane
Sorcerer’s Legacy
Master of Whitestorm
That Way Lies Camelot
To Ride Hell’s Chasm
The Wars of Light and Shadow:
The Curse of the Mistwraith
The Ships of Merior
Warhost of Vastmark
Fugitive Prince
Grand Conspiracy
Peril’s Gate
Traitor’s Knot
Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Voyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77–85 Fulham Palace Road,
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpervoyagerbooks.com
First published in Great Britain by
Grafton Books 1987
Daughter of the Empire First published in Great Britain by Grafton Books 1987
Copyright © Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts 1987
Servant of the Empire First published in Great Britain by Grafton Books 1990
Copyright © Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts 1990
Mistress of the Empire First published in Great Britain by Grafton Books 1992
Copyright © Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts 1992
The Authors assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.
EPub Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN 9780007518760
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East – 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
The Complete Empire Trilogy Page 211
