The Shadow at the Gate

by Christopher Bunn

  “Drink,” said the golden-haired man. “With some of that in you, you’ll feel better in no time.”

  “Thank you,” she said again, clutching the blessedly hot mug in her hands and breathing in the steam.

  “I bid you welcome to the camp of Brond Gifernes, the duke of Mizra,” he said. He bowed and smiled. “And, as I am he, be assured you’re safe here.”

  Giverny drank deeply from the mug. The heat of the broth flooded through her. She could not keep her eyes open. The last thing she saw was the man watching her.

  This story continues in

  The Wicked Day

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to Jen Ballinger for copy-editing this book. Also, thanks to Bryan Ballinger for drawing the map. I greatly appreciate the time and honesty of my test readers: Jaemen Kennedy, Frank Troya, Wayne and Jessica Collingwood, Scott Mathias, Dave Palshaw, Rob and Sandra Kammerzell, and the various long-suffering members of the Bunn family (David, Michael, Jodi, Benjamin, Micha, Megan and, of course, Jessica).