“I think it most likely. Most likely, indeed.”
“Then I must take action. I loathe the Prince, but I will have to try to stop this insidious business if I can.”
“Best you do not, sir. Leave some of this to me. For I have much to make up for in this.”
“What can you do, Koodigern? No offense, but it's clear that you're dead.”
“That's so. But the dead are not entirely without their wits, though we don't always recall exactly who we are or when.”
“I'll not ask how this will come about. But if I can be of any help to you… “
“If a time should come, I will call upon you, Master Finn. Have no doubt of that.”
“Well, then…”
“Oh,” Koodigern said, just before his misty self began to fade, “good Dostagio asked me to send his regards, sir. He, too, is a victim of this sad affair.”
“Yes, indeed that's so.”
“In more ways than you know… “
“And how is that, friend?”
“The Gracious Dead. Scarcely anyone is aware of the truth of this. These servants of the King are the unwanted children of the Heldessian poor. They have been raised in secret for generations past, by Obern Oberbyght and those in his family who came before. They never knew who they were, sir, or what other lives they might have lived.”
“No, that can't be. It's too great a horror to be real!” Finn felt as if something dark and chill had coiled up within his belly. For an instant, he imagined he could hear the cries of those who'd been so sorely used through countless years.
“It can't be, but it is, sir. I fear it's sadly so… “
Koodigern was only a blur, now, a wisp of vapor that quickly vanished into the night.
“FINN STOOD ALONE ON GARPENNY STREET, UNAWARE of the cold, or the fast-approaching dawn. When the first faint hint of the day smudged the sky, he felt a great weariness overtake him, and he walked back to his door, under the sign that read THE LIZARD SHOPPE. It needed paint, as it always had before.
Inside, Julia Jessica Slagg sat unmoving by the stairs, as she had some hours before.
“I told you to take a cloak, but you won't listen to me. Not our good and noble Master Finn.”
“Don't ever call me noble, Julia, not even in jest. It's not a title I can bear. I shall make myself some thistle tea, now. And do not wake Letitia, let her have her sleep.
“After I've had a cup or two to bring the warmth back to my bones, you and I will have a very long talk in the quiet of the shop. There must be a way to bring a vile and dangerous sorcerer down, and I shall need a lizard with a sly ferret's brain to give me good advice. …”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NEAL BARRETT JR.'S novels and short stories span the field from mystery/suspense, fantasy, science fiction, and historical to mainstream fiction. He has been nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards. He has received a Western Writers of America award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.
The Washington Post called his novel, The Hereafter Gang, “one of the great American novels.” His current work includes a collection of short stories, Perpetuity Blues. His new novel, Interstate Dreams, received an award from the Texas Institute of Letters.
His first book featuring Finn, the Lizard-Maker, The Prophecy Machine, was also published by Bantam.
THE TREACHERY OF KINGS
A BANTAM SPECTRA BOOK/AUGUST 2001
SPECTRA and the portrayal of a boxed “s” are trademarks of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Copyright © 2001 by Neal Barrett Jr.
Cover art copyright © 2001 by Daniel Merriam.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-48075-0
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