Элизабет Мун - Into the Fire

“I’m Rafael Dunbarger. He’s dead, and you didn’t kill him. I did. Thank you for that lunge you made, by the way. I couldn’t get a clear shot at him, when I first saw what he was up to. Your shoving him opened a gap.”

“Ser, you’re injured—” one of the guards said.

Benny’s hands fell apart, released. His left arm hurt suddenly; he could feel the tickle of something hot moving down his arm. When he looked, blood had soaked his jacket sleeve and his hand was bloody. He felt sick.

“Let me see,” the short man—Dunbarger—said. “Ah—you need to sit down. Yes, right down on the floor.” To the others “An aid kit, a medic. Quickly.” He took a handkerchief from his impeccable jacket and pushed it into the wound. “You’ll be all right. I’ve seen worse.”

“Benny—” Stella was there, kneeling beside him, looking at him—and in her face he saw no anger, no contempt. “You saved our lives.”

“He did,” Benny said, nodding toward Rafe.

“You,” she said, and laid her hand on his bloody one. “I won’t forget.”

President Saranife shook her head at her guests. “I was going to talk about how individuals and families—including the Vattas—had through their recent efforts brought us peace again,” she said. “I was going to use your family as an example: Vatta’s peace. And then, right here in the Palace, this brawl. Almost an assassination.”

“It could have been a lot worse,” the Chair of the Grand Council said. “We could have had another all-out civil war.” The other guests nodded.

Ky, watching Rafe care for a Quindlan who apparently wasn’t an enemy, felt a rush of warmth and mischief together. “Well, let that be our motto then,” she said. “Vatta’s peace may not be perfect, but it could have been worse.”

For all “the helpers” Mr. Rogers spoke of, who in times of crisis show up to help those who need it—from those who commit heroic lifesaving acts to those whose words spoken at the right moment, whose hug, or hand on the shoulder, save spirits

This book was written under difficult circumstances, mostly physical, and could not have been written without the help of many. This includes those who took other loads off my schedule, those who helped with specific tasks I could not complete, those who kept my spirits up when I was struggling. I could not name them all, because some were brief encounters when someone was just more patient with my slowness or clumsiness than I expected. Things are improving.

Special thanks to Ruta and Ferris Duhon for the constant friendship since college days, Ellen and John McLean for just as constant friendship over the last thirty-eight years: old friends help in many ways, including necessary corrections at times. To John Hemry for invaluable help with a scene in the fictional Slotter Key Military Academy. To Karen Shull for reading and commenting on innumerable draft sections and a keen awareness of when a character slipped out of focus. To the entire Thanksgiving Day crowd, who pitched in to help make it great when I was overtired again and then talked books later, and the Usual Suspects among my fans who read the blogs and help me locate details I’ve misplaced. Karen Meschke for encouraging words and good advice. Laura Domitz (who came two days before Thanksgiving to help with prep). Bill Fawcett (always an idea fountain), Jody Lynn Nye, Lee Martindale, many others who were there for me at the 2016 WorldCon and at DragonCon this year. David Stevens, choir director, who told me to take all the time I needed.

Anne Groell, my editor, Joshua Bilmes, my agent, were both invaluable on this one, and copy editor Laura Jorstad was a hero: to be blunt, saved the book. Likewise, Senior Production Editor Nancy Delia, who has done great work on not just this but all my books here. And finally, the ultimate helper: Richard, love of my life, who talked me down from the ceiling repeatedly, brought food, insisted on my getting prescribed rest, and could always get me laughing when things were grimmest.

Cold Welcome

Into the Fire

Trading in Danger

Marque and Reprisal

Engaging the Enemy

Command Decision

Victory Conditions

Oath of Fealty

Kings of the North

Echoes of Betrayal

Limits of Power

Crown of Renewal

Former marine ELIZABETH MOON is the author of many novels, including Cold Welcome, Echoes of Betrayal, Kings of the North, Oath of Fealty, the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy, Victory Conditions, Command Decision, Engaging the Enemy, Marque and Reprisal, Trading in Danger, the Nebula Award winner The Speed of Dark, and Remnant Population, a Hugo Award finalist. After earning a degree in history from Rice University, Moon went on to earn a degree in biology from the University of Texas–Austin. She lives in Florence, Texas.

Into the Fire is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Elizabeth Moon

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

DEL REY and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Moon, Elizabeth, author.

Title: Into the fire / Elizabeth Moon.

Description: New York: Del Rey, [2018] | Series: Vatta’s peace; 2

Identifiers: LCCN 2017053588| ISBN 9781101887349 (hardback: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781101887356 (ebook)

Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Fantasy / Epic. | FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure. | FICTION / Action & Adventure. | GSAFD: Science fiction.

Classification: LCC PS3563.O557 I58 2018 | DDC 813/.54—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2017053588

Ebook ISBN 9781101887356

randomhousebooks.com

Book design by Christopher M. Zucker, adapted for ebook

Cover design: Arielle Pearl

Cover illustration: © Mike Bryan, based on a photograph © Michael Frost

v5.1

ep