Janny Wurts - Destiny’s Conflict - Book Two of Sword of the Canon

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 HarperVoyager 2017

Copyright © Janny Wurts 2017

Cover illustration © Janny Wurts 2017

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2017

Janny Wurts 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: 9780007310388

Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780007384426

Version: 2018-06-27

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Maps

Sword of the Canon: Timeline with relevant dates

I. Duress

II. Entanglement

III. Fissure

IV. Debacle

V. Misfit

VI. Interval

VII. Sidesteps

VIII. Fifth Upset

IX. Secrets

X. Riddle

XI. Black Dawn

XII. Exigencies

XIII. Expedient

Glossary

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

Map of Tysan

Map of Rathain

Map of the Isles of Min Pierens

Map of Havish

Map of Melhalla

Map of Los Lier

Map of West Shand

Map of Shand

—5671/5672 A rash move: Dakar the Mad Prophet uses his Fellowship authority to attach Rathain’s crown with an oath of debt to the Koriathain, enabling Elaira to make use of the sisterhood’s knowledge to salvage Prince Arithon’s life. While she does invoke her initiate training to recall Arithon’s strayed spirit, she alters a very intricate ritual to create a Grand Confluence, making her healer’s lore adhere to the Major Balance precepts taught by Ath’s adepts. This change based on free will replicates an original, extremely ancient construct, historically stolen from the Biedar tribe by the Koriathain.

—The Biedar crone on Athera intervenes: through Elaira’s alteration, she seizes a thread of the working, and when the subsequent conception of a child occurs, calls the spirit of one of her tribal ancients to be reincarnated as Arithon’s daughter, born to Glendien at Althain Tower.

—Interim events following Stormed Fortress

—5672 Birth of Teylia to Glendien at Althain Tower.

—Elaira returns to the Koriathain under summons.

—5674 Arithon is betrayed and taken captive by the Koriathain, ignorant of Dakar’s oath of debt to the crown, since all that occurred at Athir to save him was kept secret.

—Pressured by the Prime’s threat to Elaira’s life as leverage to break him, Arithon sequesters all of his memories of her, together with his perilous knowledge of Grey Kralovir necromancy, into the emerald signet ring of Rathain, which is protected under Fellowship auspices, and guarded by Elaira as his handfast beloved.

—5674 The Fellowship Sorcerers gamble with extreme risk: to prevent Arithon’s immediate destruction at the hands of the Prime Matriarch, Kharadmon collapses the star wards that are holding back a mass invasion by Marak’s free wraiths. Prime Selidie is forced to negotiate, or see the world become devoured, since only a Masterbard’s art can ameliorate the threat.

—The Koriani Prime drives a harsh bargain: for a stay of execution, to last only until the last free wraith is settled, she demands that Sethvir surrender guardianship of Teylia to the sisterhood to seal the bargain.

—5676 Teylia is oathsworn as an initiate Koriathain. Her training to become the Prime’s successor is a disaster, her untrained power so great that every crystal she touches shatters.

—5683 The Great Schism: Lysaer abandons the Religion of Light in Tysan and retires to the mayor’s seat at Etarra. True Sect split of the faithful establishes a High Temple at Erdane.

—5688 Reform Years begin in Rathain: Lysaer’s justice creates a treaty with High Earl Barach that establishes fair law and brings stable peace with the clans of Rathain.

—5691 First Book of Canon Law and True Sect law is established at Erdane by the True Sect priests.

—5867 Drake War fought to a standstill by Fellowship Sorcerers at Penstair.

—5902 Treaty signed between True Sect zealots in Tysan and the Crown of Havish establishes a tenuous accord, to expire upon the death of the reigning queen.