Shadows Return - Lynn Flewelling [0]
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgments
Map
City of Rhímínee
Chapter 1 The Stag and Otter
Chapter 2 Too Much, and Not Enough
Chapter 3 Movement
Chapter 4 Those Who Serve at the Queen’s Displeasure
Chapter 5 Lovers and Enemies
Chapter 6 A Welcoming Port
Chapter 7 An Unexpected Shooting Party
Chapter 8 No Stomach for Magic
Chapter 9 Hobbled
Chapter 10 Rough Passage
Chapter 11 No Good Place for a ’Faie
Chapter 12 Bargains in Flesh
Chapter 13 Ilban
Chapter 14 The Power of Memory
Chapter 15 Tricky Business
Chapter 16 Kindness of Kindred
Chapter 17 Kind Words. Bad News
Chapter 18 Caged Doubts
Chapter 19 An Unexpected Reward
Chapter 20 The Price of Loneliness
Chapter 21 Distractions
Chapter 22 Alchemy
Chapter 23 Treachery
Chapter 24 A Change of Scenery
Chapter 25 Rhekaro
Chapter 26 Pride
Chapter 27 The Pale Child
Chapter 28 Seregil Follows His Own Advice
Chapter 29 Cross Purposes
Chapter 30 Watcher Business
Chapter 31 A Change in the Wind
Chapter 32 On the Hunt
Chapter 33 Child of No Woman
Chapter 34 The Watchers Go Forth
Chapter 35 The Good Slave
Chapter 36 Nightrunning
Chapter 37 Closing In
Chapter 38 Lovers and Lying Bastards
Chapter 39 Thero Turns Nightrunner
Chapter 40 Silver Eyes
Chapter 41 Blood and Flowers
Chapter 42 Sebrahn Stirs
Chapter 43 Divisions
Chapter 44 The Parting
Chapter 45 Sorrowful Journey
Chapter 46 At Bay
Chapter 47 Sanctuary
Epilogue
About the Author
Preview of The White Road
Also by Lynn Flewelling
Copyright
This book is dedicated to
Doug, Matt, and Tim, with love, for everything.
And to Nancy Jeffers, my friend, guide, head
cheerleader, and all-around goddess. Long overdue,
babe! Thanks for all your enthusiasm for this
project, and all the others.
You are the wanderer who carries his home in his heart. You are the bird who makes its nest on the waves. You will father a child of no woman.
—words of the Dragon Oracle at Sarikali,
to Alec í Amasa of Kerry
Acknowledgments
Special thanks, as always, to all my family and friends, without whom I’d be very lonely. To my tireless agent, Lucienne Diver; my wise editor, Anne Lesley Groell; to the wonderful artist Michael Komarck, and the good folks at Bantam. To my readers, who keep me going. To the amazing folks at the Flewelling Yahoo! Group and my Live Journal who, as always, know far more about my work than I do, and are always there to help and cheer me on. Much appreciated. And a special shout-out to fan artist Mathia, whose rendition of Korathan inspired a nice bit of business.
CHAPTER 1
The Stag and Otter
SEREGIL BALANCED PRECARIOUSLY atop the shard-lined wall, impatiently scanning the shadowy garden below for his misplaced partner. Alec had been right behind him when he’d shimmied out the library window, or so he’d thought.
Everything about this job had taken too long: finding a way in, finding the right room (for which they’d been given the wrong directions), then finding the stolen brooch in question, the possessor of which—one of the most vicious new blackmailers in Rhíminee—had very wisely kept in a casket with several dozen others. Seregil had to scrutinize each one by a lightstone’s glow. If he hadn’t been so fond of the young lady whose reputation hung on the success of this night’s work, he’d have given up the whole damned mess hours ago.
Dawn was a faint smudge above the rooftops now. A weak but welcome breeze whispered through the yellowing leaves of the garden below. It tugged at the long, stray strands of dark hair clinging, sweat-plastered, to Seregil’s forehead. Summer’s heat was lingering into early autumn this year. His thin linen shirt was soaked through and rank under the arms. The swath of black silk across his lower face was sticking to his lips. He just wanted to go home to a bath and clean cool sheets…
Yet there was still no sign of Alec.
“Hey! Where are you?” he called softly. He was about to risk calling out again when he heard a muttered curse from the shadow of a pear tree near the house.
“I dropped it,” Alec hissed,