Cinda Chima - The Exiled Queen

THE

EXILED

QUEEN

CINDA WILLIAMS CHIMA

Copyright

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Harper Voyager An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright © Cinda Williams Chima 2010

Cinda Williams Chima 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

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007384228

Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2011 ISBN: 9780007384211

Version: 2017-01-12

For Linda and Mike—who shared a world

of make-believe and kick-butt Barbies.

Thanks for putting up with all the talking animals.

Contents

Cover

Title Page THE EXILED QUEEN CINDA WILLIAMS CHIMA

Copyright

Chapter One - The West Wall

Chapter Two - In The Borderlands

Chapter Three - In The Autumn Damps

Chapter Four - Delphi

Chapter Five - Into The Fens

Chapter Six - Flatland Demons

Chapter Seven - On The Road Again

Chapter Eight - Oden’s Ford

Chapter Nine - The Road West

Chapter Ten - Cadet

Chapter Eleven - Mystwerk House

Chapter Twelve - Raised from the Dead

Chapter Thirteen - Charmcasting for Beginners

Chapter Fourteen - Dean’s Dinner

Chapter Fifteen - Friends And Enemies

Chapter Sixteen - A Meeting With The Dean

Chapter Seventeen - In Mystwerk Tower

Chapter Eighteen - Abelard’s Crew

Chapter Nineteen - Caught In The Act

Chapter Twenty - Star-Crossed

Chapter Twenty-One - A Vermin Problem

Chapter Twenty-Two - The Waking Dream

Chapter Twenty-Three - A Meeting Of Exiles

Chapter Twenty-Four - News From Home

Chapter Twenty-Five - Blueblood Ways

Chapter Twenty-Six - Dangerous Dancing

Chapter Twenty-Seven - When Dreams Turn to Nightmares

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Word from Home

Chapter Twenty-Nine - A Babe in the Woods

Chapter Thirty - This Rough Magic

Chapter Thirty-One - Betrayal

Chapter Thirty-Two - Shifting Alliances

Chapter Thirty-Three - Matrimony or Murder

Chapter Thirty-Four - Shoulder Taps

Chapter Thirty-Five - Old Friends

Chapter Thirty-Six - Detours

Chapter Thirty-Seven - A Parting of the Ways

Keep Reading Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

By Cinda Williams Chima

About the Publisher

Chapter One The West Wall Chapter One - The West Wall Chapter Two - In The Borderlands Chapter Three - In The Autumn Damps Chapter Four - Delphi Chapter Five - Into The Fens Chapter Six - Flatland Demons Chapter Seven - On The Road Again Chapter Eight - Oden’s Ford Chapter Nine - The Road West Chapter Ten - Cadet Chapter Eleven - Mystwerk House Chapter Twelve - Raised from the Dead Chapter Thirteen - Charmcasting for Beginners Chapter Fourteen - Dean’s Dinner Chapter Fifteen - Friends And Enemies Chapter Sixteen - A Meeting With The Dean Chapter Seventeen - In Mystwerk Tower Chapter Eighteen - Abelard’s Crew Chapter Nineteen - Caught In The Act Chapter Twenty - Star-Crossed Chapter Twenty-One - A Vermin Problem Chapter Twenty-Two - The Waking Dream Chapter Twenty-Three - A Meeting Of Exiles Chapter Twenty-Four - News From Home Chapter Twenty-Five - Blueblood Ways Chapter Twenty-Six - Dangerous Dancing Chapter Twenty-Seven - When Dreams Turn to Nightmares Chapter Twenty-Eight - Word from Home Chapter Twenty-Nine - A Babe in the Woods Chapter Thirty - This Rough Magic Chapter Thirty-One - Betrayal Chapter Thirty-Two - Shifting Alliances Chapter Thirty-Three - Matrimony or Murder Chapter Thirty-Four - Shoulder Taps Chapter Thirty-Five - Old Friends Chapter Thirty-Six - Detours Chapter Thirty-Seven - A Parting of the Ways Keep Reading Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом. By Cinda Williams Chima About the Publisher

Lieutenant Mac Gillen of the Queen’s Guard of the Fells hunched his shoulders against the witch wind that howled out of the frozen wastelands to the north and west. Looping his reins around the pommel of his saddle, he let his horse, Marauder, navigate the final half mile descent to the Westgate garrison house on his own.

Gillen deserved better than this miserable post in this miserable corner of the queendom of the Fells. Patroling the border was a job for the regular army—the foreign mercenaries, called stripers, or the Highlander home guard. Not for a member of the elite Queen’s Guard.

He’d been away from the city only a month, but he missed the gritty neighborhood of Southbridge. In Southbridge there was plenty to distract him on his nightly rounds—taverns and gambling halls and fancy girls. In the capital he’d had high- up connections with deep pockets—meaning plenty of chances to do private work on the side.

Then it had all gone wrong. There’d been a prisoner riot at Southbridge Guardhouse, and a Ragger street rat named Rebecca had jammed a burning torch into his face, leaving one eye blind, his skin red and shiny and puckered with scar tissue.

In late summer he’d taken Magot and Sloat and some others to retrieve a stolen amulet over in Ragmarket. He’d done the job on the quiet under orders from Lord Bayar, High Wizard and counselor to the queen. They’d searched that tumbledown stable top to bottom, had even dug up the stable yard, but they didn’t find the jinxpiece nor Cuffs Alister, the street thief who’d stolen it.