He’d done what he could, including the account at the Banque D’Excelsis and the healthy monthly stipend, little as it was compared to what she had given him. Pushing that thought away, he concentrated on her. He tried not to move at all, but successful as he was, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled.
“You are sweet,” she murmured.
“For a rex,” he countered.
“For a man.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “You will find someone who is right for you. Just do not settle…”
“For anyone less than you?” Charyn forced a smile.
“Certainly not. I’m not that special.”
Charyn wasn’t going to argue that point. He already knew she was wrong. She was special … even if she was right about what he needed in his choice of a wife.
She eased back from him. “I need to dress.”
“We need to dress. I will see you off.” He’d wanted a last breakfast with her, but she had demurred, and he had acceded to her wish to leave quietly and early, just as she had arrived more than a half year ago.
Because he kept looking at her as she dressed, he had to hurry to finish getting his clothes on, wash and shave quickly. With a smile on her face, she waited for him to pull on one of his regial green jackets. Then they walked from his quarters.
She turned her head. “You will redecorate the bedchamber.”
“I will. I promised.”
“Thank you.”
The upper corridor was silent in the dim light cast by a single lit lamp on a wall sconce, and their steps echoed through the space above and below the grand stairway as they descended to the main level.
A chateau guard stepped forward, bowing to Palenya. “Musician Palenya, the coach is ready at the foot of the main steps.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly, but firmly, before turning to Charyn with an amused and warm smile.
“There is no way I could let you leave by the rear courtyard. You may be leaving the Chateau D’Rex, but you’re going to be the music master for the two most powerful people in Solidar. That should be recognized, at least by me.” He offered his arm, and they walked out through the door held by the guard, and then past a pair of chateau guards in dress uniforms, who presented arms as they passed and started down the white stone steps, unmarked, as they had been for generations, by the footsteps of the past.
When they reached the coach, Charyn opened the door, then lifted her gloved hand and kissed it before releasing it. He could barely see as she bent forward and kissed him on the cheek, but he felt the dampness on her face for a brief instant before she straightened, then turned and entered the coach.
Watching the coach as it headed down the drive toward the ring road, carrying Palenya to the Collegium, Charyn realized, not for the first time, that regardless of the depth of passion and desire, and the power of position, trying to attain some dreams could only destroy the dreamer … And Solidar.
As the coach vanished from his sight, he slowly turned and walked up the white stone steps.
Tor Books by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Imager Portfolio
Imager
Imager’s Challenge
Imager’s Intrigue
Scholar
Princeps
Imager’s Battalion
Antiagon Fire
Rex Regis
Madness in Solidar
Treachery’s Tools
Assassin’s Price
The Corean Chronicles
Legacies
Darknesses
Scepters
Alector’s Choice
Cadmian’s Choice
Soarer’s Choice
The Lord-Protector’s Daughter
Lady-Protector
The Saga of Recluce
The Magic of Recluce
The Towers of the Sunset
The Magic Engineer
The Order War
The Death of Chaos
Fall of Angels
The Chaos Balance
The White Order
Colors of Chaos
Magi’i of Cyador
Scion of Cyador
Wellspring of Chaos
Ordermaster
Natural Ordermage
Mage-Guard of Hamor
Arms-Commander
Cyador’s Heirs
Heritage of Cyador
Recluce Tales
The Mongrel Mage (forthcoming)
The Spellsong Cycle
The Soprano Sorceress
The Spellsong War
Darksong Rising
The Shadow Sorceress
Shadowsinger
The Ecolitan Matter
Empire & Ecolitan (comprising The Ecolitan Operation and The Ecologic Secession)
Ecolitan Prime (comprising The Ecologic Envoy and The Ecolitan Enigma)
The Forever Hero (comprising Dawn for a Distant Earth, The Silent Warrior, and In Endless Twilight)
Timegods’ World (comprising Timediver’s Dawn and The Timegod)
The Ghost Books
Of Tangible Ghosts
The Ghost of the Revelator
Ghost of the White Nights
Ghosts of Columbia (comprising Of Tangible Ghosts and The Ghost of the Revelator)
The Hammer of Darkness
The Green Progression
The Parafaith War
Adiamante
Gravity Dreams
The Octagonal Raven
Archform: Beauty
The Ethos Effect
Flash
The Eternity Artifact
The Elysium Commission
Viewpoints Critical
Haze
Empress of Eternity
The One-Eyed Man
Solar Express
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L. E. MODESITT, JR., is the bestselling author of more than seventy books, including Rex Regis and Madness in Solidar. His works range from science fiction to fantasy, including the Imager Portfolio and Saga of Recluce series. He currently lives in Cedar City, Utah. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Characters
Map
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51<
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Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Coda
Tor Books by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ASSASSIN’S PRICE
Copyright © 2017 by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Donato Giancola
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-9047-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-7653-9049-3 (ebook)
eISBN 9780765390493
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First Edition: July 2017
Assassin's Price Page 60
