David Chandler - Honour Among Thieves

Book Three of

The Ancient Blades Trilogy

For J.R.R.T. and G.R.R.M., the Epic Overlords.

Cover

Title Page

Dedication Page

Map

Prologue

The Free City of Ness was known around the world…

Part 1

Under the Flag of Parley

Chapter One

On the far side of the Whitewall mountains, in the…

Chapter Two

There was a mountain, and then there was no mountain.

Chapter Three

At dawn—as promised—Croy returned, looking a little tousled after riding…

Chapter Four

On a map the fortress of Helstrow would have resembled…

Chapter Five

Inside the common room of the inn, food and wine…

Chapter Six

Bursting out into the sunlight, Malden turned his head wildly…

Chapter Seven

The marketers all fled or pressed into the doors of…

Chapter Eight

When Malden burst out of the inn, Cythera leapt to…

Chapter Nine

They dragged Malden through the gate to the inner bailey,…

Chapter Ten

“This way, sir knight, milady,” the castellan said, and ushered…

Chapter Eleven

Ulfram V was a year younger than Croy, but the…

Chapter Twelve

“Is this true, Croy?” the king demanded. “Did you—in fact—make…

Chapter Thirteen

Instantly Ghostcutter came to Croy’s hand. Beside him he saw…

Chapter Fourteen

After Mörgain left, no one spoke for some while. Croy…

Chapter Fifteen

After darkness fell, Malden and Croy headed back into the…

Chapter Sixteen

He made a point of saying no more until they…

Chapter Seventeen

Cythera stood by the window in their room at the…

Chapter Eighteen

Malden never actually lost consciousness, but between the pain in…

Chapter Nineteen

The bridge across the river Strow began and ended within…

Chapter Twenty

In the king’s own chapel in the keep at Helstrow,…

Chapter Twenty-One

The day after the gates of Helstrow were sealed, the…

Chapter Twenty-Two

Malden put his hand on Acidtongue’s hilt, but kept the…

Chapter Twenty-Three

T he woman from the milehouse turned out to be…

Chapter Twenty-Four

Croy’s rounsey whickered and bucked as he climbed onto its…

Chapter Twenty-Five

The king walked his horse up to where the two…

Chapter Twenty-Six

The king of Skrae spluttered in rage. Croy didn’t blame…

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Behind the portcullis, soldiers shouted at one another and men…

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Berserkers crashed up against the gate, straining and howling as…

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Where do we take him?” Orne asked, when they were…

Part 2

The Sleeping King

Interlude

There was a place in the Free City of Ness…

Chapter Thirty

Helstrow burned for days. The barbarians were too busy celebrating…

Chapter Thirty-One

Just outside the gates of Ness a recruiting serjeant had…

Chapter Thirty-Two

Cythera found her mother down in Swampwall, where the river…

Chapter Thirty-Three

After Cythera went to find her mother, Malden led Slag…

Chapter Thirty-Four

“That’s ridiculous,” Malden said. How could he be Cutbill’s most…

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Alright,” Malden said. “Well, that’s got me up to date.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Croy brought the whetstone carefully up the iron edge of…

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Through the stout oak door, Croy could hear the voices…

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The river Skrait twisted through Ness, carving its way between…

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Walking through the brambles surrounding Coruth’s shack was disincitement enough,…

Chapter Forty

Malden moved out of the way as Coruth swept into…

Chapter Forty-One

When dinner was finished Malden took his leave. He was…

Chapter Forty-Two

The thieves of Ness gathered just before midnight, when the…

Chapter Forty-Three

A few murmurs drifted up from the crowd regardless of…

Chapter Forty-Four

Perhaps there was a second reason why Cutbill had chosen…

Chapter Forty-Five

“I have grand plans for the people of Skrae,” the…

Chapter Forty-Six

The sky glowed a deep blue-black that made Malden’s head…

Chapter Forty-Seven

The air in Coruth’s house felt like it had been…

Chapter Forty-Eight

Mörget whirled his axe through the air and brought it…

Chapter Forty-Nine

The bandit camp proved a sorry affair. Two dozen men…

Chapter Fifty

Barbarian pickets controlled the road between Helstrow and Redweir, but…

Chapter Fifty-One

The Baron sighed and looked down at his maps and…

Chapter Fifty-Two

Money kept coming in, as it always had, and that…

Chapter Fifty-Three

It didn’t take long for the thief-takers to make their…

Chapter Fifty-Four

Slag followed Malden all the way across the Sawyer’s Bridge…

Chapter Fifty-Five

“Protection?” Malden repeated, when Herwig had told him what she…

Chapter Fifty-Six

Croy knelt low in the brambles by the side of…

Chapter Fifty-Seven

I didn’t want this job, Malden thought. I never asked…

Chapter Fifty-Eight

It wasn’t easy getting the word out so late in…

Chapter Fifty-Nine

An old fishwife with a face like a rotten parsnip…

Chapter Sixty

Coruth did not wait to hear if he would follow.

Chapter Sixty-One

In a muddy field just off the Helstrow road, Baron…

Chapter Sixty-Two

Mörgain’s barbarians were distracted by the archers and turned outwards…

Chapter Sixty-Three

Spittle flecked their red-painted lips. They came running with blood…

Part 3

A Change of Station

Interlude

“Halt, here,” Mörgain said, and the paltry remnants of her…

Chapter Sixty-Four

Malden grabbed onto a window ledge and hauled himself upward.

Chapter Sixty-Five

Malden leaned down and kissed Cythera gently. She wrapped her…

Chapter Sixty-Six

Loophole would never walk easy again. When the mob seized…

Chapter Sixty-Seven

He already knew what his Helstrovian second-in-command wanted, but still…

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Dead bodies littered the forecourt of Easthull manor. Not a…

Chapter Sixty-Nine

“The king is dead,” Coruth said, plucking at long blades…

Chapter Seventy

A thousand barbarians marched north, pulling wagons full of books…

Chapter Seventy-One

“The Godstone is cracked. The cracks need to be repaired.

Chapter Seventy-Two

“Be of good cheer, lad,” Slag said, as he led…

Chapter Seventy-Three

Croy kept his horse to a walk as they crept…

Chapter Seventy-Four

Malden reached up and grasped the snout of a gargoyle.

Chapter Seventy-Five

Malden lowered himself through the trap door by his hands.

Chapter Seventy-Six

Malden’s candle fell from his hand and flickered out instantly.

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Malden closed the door behind him and bent low to…

Chapter Seventy-Eight

“Malden, no one loves me,” Cutbill said. He poured two…

Chapter Seventy-Nine

“The barbarians will arrive within the week,” Cutbill told Malden.