Mark Lawrence - Red Sister

Harper Voyager an imprint of

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Harper Voyager 2017

Copyright © Mark Lawrence 2017

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018 Cover images: © Tomasz Jedruszek (girl), Shutterstock.com(background images)

Mark Lawrence asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

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.

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 e-book 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.

Source ISBN: 9780008152291

Ebook Edition © April 2017 ISBN: 9780008152314

Version: 2018-10-26

To Celyn, who needs no words for eloquence.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Author’s Note

Red Class

Prologue

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

Grey Class

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

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Also by Mark Lawrence

About the Publisher

Rather than place this background information in an appendix at the back where you might not notice it until you’ve finished the book (I’ve done that before) I’m putting it here at the front. However, it is best to skip it and return only if you find you need it. All the information here is given to you in the text and unfolds naturally with the story.

The people of Abeth descend from four ‘tribes’. These tribes were:

Gerant – distinguished by their great size

Hunska – distinguished by their speed. A dark-haired, dark-eyed people

Marjal – distinguished by their ability to tap into the lesser magics

Quantal – distinguished by their ability to walk the Path and work greater magics

The great families of empire adopt the suffix -sis when the head of the family is named a lord by the emperor. The emperor’s own family are the Lansis. Other families of note include the Tacsis, Jotsis, Memsis, Galamsis, Leensis, Gersis, Rolsis, and Chemsis.

In the Convent of Sweet Mercy novices move through four classes on their way to taking holy orders. A novice must graduate from each class. The classes are named after the four orders of nun:

Red Class – typical novice age 9-12

Grey Class – typical novice age 13-14

Mystic Class – typical novice age 15-16

Holy Class – typical novice age 17-19

On taking holy orders novices become nuns. They follow one of the following paths:

Bride of the Ancestor (Holy Sister) – a nun concerned with honouring the Ancestor and maintaining the faith. The most common calling

Martial Sister (Red Sister) – a nun skilled in armed and unarmed combat, usually showing hunska blood

Sister of Discretion (Grey Sister) – a nun skilled in espionage, stealth, and poisons. Often showing marjal blood and a talent for shadow-work

Mystic Sister (Holy Witch) – a nun able to walk the Path and manipulate threads. Always showing quantal blood

Nuns (in order of superiority)

Glass: Abbess of Sweet Mercy Convent, also known as Shella Yammal

Rose: Sister Superior, Holy Sister, runs the sanatorium

Wheel: Sister Superior, Mistress Spirit, Holy Sister, teaches Spirit classes

Apple: Mistress Shade, Grey Sister, also known as the Poisoner, teaches Shade classes

Pan: Mistress Path, Holy Witch, teaches Path classes

Rule: Mistress Academia, Holy Sister, teaches Academia classes

Tallow: Mistress Blade, Red Sister, teaches Blade classes

Chrysanthemum: Holy Sister, mostly known as Sister Mop

Flint: Red Sister, Grey Class mistress

Kettle: Grey Sister

Oak: Holy Sister, Red Class mistress

Rock: Red Sister

Alata: junior novice

Arabella Jotsis: junior novice, quantal and hunska blood

Clera Ghomal: junior novice, Nona’s friend, hunska blood

Croy: junior novice

Darla: junior novice, gerant blood

Ghena: junior novice, hunska blood

Hessa: junior novice, Nona’s friend from Giljohn’s cage, quantal blood

Jula: junior novice, Nona’s friend, studious

Kariss: junior novice

Katcha: junior novice

Ketti: junior novice, hunska blood

Leeni: junior novice

Mally: junior novice, Grey Class head-girl

Ruli: Nona’s friend, marjal blood

Sarma: junior novice

Sharlot: junior novice

Sheelar: junior novice

Suleri: senior novice

Emperor Crucical: his palace is in the city of Verity

Sherzal: the emperor’s sister. Her palace is close to the Scithrowl border

Velera: the emperor’s sister. Her palace is on the coast

High Priest Jacob: head of the Church of the Ancestor

Archon Nevis: high-ranking priest

Archon Anasta: high-ranking priestess

Archon Philo: high-ranking priest

Archon Kratton: high-ranking priest

Thuran Tacsis: lord, head of the Tacsis family

Raymel Tacsis: heir to Thuran Tacsis, Caltess ring-fighter, gerant blood

Lano Tacsis: Thuran Tacsis’s second son, hunska blood

Academic Rexxus Degon: senior Academy man

Markus: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood

Saida: child from Giljohn’s cage, gerant blood

Willum: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood

Chara: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood

Partnis Reeve: owner of the Caltess fight-hall

Gretcha: Caltess ring-fighter, gerant blood

Maya: Caltess apprentice, gerant blood

Regol: Caltess trainee, hunska blood

Denam: Caltess trainee, gerant blood

Tarkax: known as ‘the Ice-Spear’, renowned warrior from the ice-tribes

Yisht: warrior from the ice tribes, serves Sherzal

Zole: girl from the ice tribes, Sherzal’s ward

Irvone Galamsis: high court judge

Sister Owl: legendary Red Sister (dead)

Sister Cloud: legendary Red Sister (dead)

Safira: former senior novice, works for Sherzal