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: 2018-05-23
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
• SYNOPSIS •
Our Story So Far …
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 .
At the palace, Arutha decided the immediate danger was over, and life returned to a semblance of normalcy. The King, the Ambassador from Great Kesh, and other dignitaries arrived at the palace, and Jimmy caught a glimpse of Laughing Jack in the crowd. Jimmy was shocked, for he had been certain the false thief had died.
Arutha alerted his most trusted advisers of the danger and learned strange things were occurring in the north. It was decided there was a connection between those events and the assassins. Jimmy arrived with the news that the palace was honeycombed with secret passages and his fear that he had seen Jack. Arutha decided upon a course of caution, taking care to guard the palace, but determined to proceed with the wedding.
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