Raymond E. Feist - A Darkness at Sethanon

Harper Voyager

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpervoyagerbooks.co.uk

First Published in Great Britain By Grafton Books 1986

Copyright © Raymond E. Feist 1986

Raymond E. Feist asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2013. Cover photograph © Nik Keevil

FIRST EDITION

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Source ISBN: 9780007517305

Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007370184

Version: 2019-01-07

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Map

Synopsis

Book IV

Prologue

Chapter One: Festival

Chapter Two: Discovery

Chapter Three: Murder

Chapter Four: Embarkation

Chapter Five: Crydee

Chapter Six: Leavetaking

Chapter Seven: Mysteries

Chapter Eight: Yabon

Chapter Nine: Captives

Chapter Ten: Accommodation

Chapter Eleven: Discovery

Chapter Twelve: Messengers

Chapter Thirteen: First Blood

Chapter Fourteen: Destruction

Chapter Fifteen: Flight

Chapter Sixteen: Creation

Chapter Seventeen: Withdrawal

Chapter Eighteen: Homeward

Chapter Nineteen: Sethanon

Chapter Twenty: Aftermath

About the Author

By the Same Author

About the Publisher

This book is dedicated to my mother,

Barbara A. Feist,

who never doubted for a moment

As this book marks the end of The Riftwar Saga , the three-book cycle begun with Magician and continued through Silverthorn , I feel it necessary to again offer heartfelt thanks to those people who in one way or another contributed to whatever quality and success my books have achieved:

The original architects of Midkemia: April and Stephen Abrams; Steve Barrett; Anita and Jon Everson; Dave Guinasso; Conan LaMotte; Tim LaSelle; Ethan Munson; Bob Potter; Rich Spahl; Alan Springer; Lori and Jeff Velten.

Those many others who joined us on Fridays over the years, adding their own touches to the marvellous thing which is the world of Midkemia.

My friends at Grafton Books, past and current.

Harold Matson, my agent, who gave me my first break.

Abner Stein, my agent in Great Britain.

And Janny Wurts, a gifted writer and artist, for showing me how to get more out of my characters when I thought I already knew all there was to know about them.

Each has contributed in his or her own unique way to the three novels that make up The Riftwar Saga . The books would have been much poorer by the absence of even one of them.

RAYMOND E. FEIST

San Diego, California

A FTER THE RIFTWAR AGAINST THE TSURANI, ALIEN INVADERS FROM the world ofs Kelewan, peace reigned in the Kingdom of the Isles for nearly a year. King Lyam and his brothers, Prince Arutha and Duke Martin, toured the eastern cities and neighbouring kingdoms, then returned to Lyam’s capital at Rillanon. The Princess Carline, their sister, gave an ultimatum to her lover, Laurie the minstrel: wed her or leave the palace. Arutha and Princess Anita became engaged, and plans were made for their wedding in Krondor, Arutha’s city.

When Arutha finally returned to Krondor, late one night, Jimmy the Hand, a boy thief, stumbled across and foiled a Nighthawk, an assassin, whose target was Arutha. It was a standing order among the Mockers that all news of the Nighthawks be reported at once. Jimmy became confused about where his loyalty lay, with the Mockers – the Guild of Thieves – or with Arutha, whom he had known the year before. Before he could decide, Jimmy was set up for murder by Laughing Jack, an officer in the Mockers, proof Jack was in league with the Nighthawks. During the ambush, Jimmy was wounded and Laughing Jack killed. Jimmy then decided to warn Arutha.

Warned of the plot, Arutha, Laurie and Jimmy trapped two assassins and imprisoned them in the palace. Arutha discovered the Nighthawks were somehow connected to the temple of the Death Goddess, Lims-Kragma. He ordered the High Priestess to attend him, but by the time she arrived one of the assassins had died and the other was dying. She sought to discover how her temple had been infiltrated by the Nighthawks. Upon dying, one of the captured Nighthawks was revealed as a magically disguised moredhel, a dark elf. The now dead creature rose up, called upon his master, Murmandamus, and attacked the High Priestess and Arutha. Only the magic intervention of Arutha’s adviser Father Nathan balked the otherwise unkillable creature .

When the High Priestess and Father Nathan recovered from their ordeal, they warned Arutha that dark and alien powers sought his death. Arutha was troubled over the safety of his brother the King and the others who would be attending Arutha’s forthcoming wedding, especially his beloved Anita. Deciding upon a quick solution rather than further magic investigation, Arutha empowered Jimmy to arrange a meeting for him with the Upright Man, the mysterious head of the Mockers .

In darkness, Arutha met one who claimed to speak with the voice of the Upright Man, though it was never made clear to the Prince if the speaker was himself the leader of the thieves. They came to an understanding on the need to rid the city of the Nighthawks and, in the bargain, Jimmy was given into Arutha’s service as a squire of the Prince’s court. Jimmy had broken oath with the Mockers and his career as a thief was over .

Later the Upright Man sent word of the location of the Nighthawks. Arutha and a company of trusted soldiers raided the Nighthawks’ headquarters, the basement of the most expensive brothel in the city. Every assassin was killed or committed suicide. The finding of the body of Golden Dase, a thief and false friend to Jimmy, revealed that the Nighthawks had indeed infiltrated the Mockers. Then the dead assassins rose up, again by some dark power, and only by burning the entire building were they destroyed .