Rebecca Ross - The Queen’s Rising

First published in the US by HarperTeen in 2018

HarperTeen is a division of HarperCollins Children’s Books

Published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2018

Published in this ebook edition in 2018

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd,

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Text copyright © Rebecca Ross LLC 2018

Map illustration by Virginia Allyn

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Rebecca Ross 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 onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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: 9780008245986

Ebook Edition © March 2018 ISBN: 9780008245993

Version: 2018-01-16

For Ruth and Mary, Mistress of Art and Mistress of Knowledge

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright First published in the US by HarperTeen in 2018 HarperTeen is a division of HarperCollins Children’s Books Published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2018 Published in this ebook edition in 2018 HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF The HarperCollins Children’s Books website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk Text copyright © Rebecca Ross LLC 2018 Map illustration by Virginia Allyn Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2018 Rebecca Ross 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 onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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: 9780008245986 Ebook Edition © March 2018 ISBN: 9780008245993 Version: 2018-01-16

Dedication For Ruth and Mary, Mistress of Art and Mistress of Knowledge

Map of the Realms

Map of Maevana’s Territories

Cast of Characters

Allenach Family Tree

MacQuinn Family Tree

Morgane Family Tree

Kavanagh Family Tree

Prologue

PART ONE– Magnalia

1. Letters and Lessons

2. A Maevan Portrait

3. Cheques and Marques

4. The Three Branches

5. The Stone of Eventide

6. The Fall

7. Eavesdropper

8. The Summer Solstice

9. Song of the North

10. Of Cloaks and Gifts

11. Buried

PART TWO– Jourdain

12. A Patron Father

13. Amadine

14. Passion Brother

15. Elusive Bonds

16. The Grim Quill

17. A Sword Lesson

18. Oblique

19. Summer’s End

20. To Stand Before a King

PART THREE– Allenach

21. The Mademoiselle with the Silver Rose

22. d’Aramitz

23. To Pass Through a Tapestry

24. The Hunt

25. The Warning

26. Wounds and Stitches

27. That Which Cannot Be

28. A Divided Heart

29. The Words Wake from Their Slumber

30. The Three Banners

31. A Clash of Steel

PART FOUR– MacQuinn

32. Let the Queen Rise

33. Fields of Corogan

34. Aviana

About the Publisher

MAGNALIA HOUSE

The Dowager of Magnalia

Magnalia’s Arials:

Solene Severin, mistress of art

Evelina Baudin, mistress of music

Xavier Allard, master of dramatics

Therese Berger, mistress of wit

Cartier Évariste, master of knowledge

Magnalia’s Ardens:

Oriana DuBois, arden of art

Merei Labelle, arden of music

Abree Cavey, arden of dramatics

Sibylle Fontaine, arden of wit

Ciri Montagne, arden of knowledge

Brienna Colbert, arden of knowledge

Others Who Visit Magnalia:

Francis, courier

Rolf Paquet, Brienna’s grandfather

Monique Lavoie, patron

Nicolas Babineaux, patron

Brice Mathieu, patron

JOURDAIN HOUSE

Aldéric Jourdain

Luc Jourdain

Amadine Jourdain

Jean David, lackey and coachman

Agnes Cote, chamberlain

Pierre Faure, chef

Liam O’Brian, thane

Others Involved with Jourdain

Hector Laurent (Braden Kavanagh)

Yseult Laurent (Isolde Kavanagh)

Theo d’Aramitz (Aodhan Morgane)

ALLENACH HOUSE

Brendan Allenach, lord

Rian Allenach, firstborn son

Sean Allenach, second-born son

Others Mentioned

Gilroy Lannon, king of Maevana

Liadan Kavanagh, the first queen of Maevana

Tristan Allenach

Norah Kavanagh, third-born princess of Maevana

Evan Berne, printmaker

THE FOURTEEN HOUSES OF MAEVANA

Allenach the Shrewd

Kavanagh the Bright *

Burke the Elder

Lannon the Fierce

Carran the Courageous

MacBran the Merciful

Dermott the Loved

MacCarey the Just

Dunn the Wise

MacFinley the Pensive

Fitzsimmons the Gentle

MacQuinn the Steadfast *

Halloran the Upright

Morgane the Swift *

*Denotes a fallen House

Midsummer 1559 Province of Angelique, Kingdom of Valenia

Magnalia House was the sort of establishment where only wealthy, talented girls mastered their passion. It wasn’t designed for girls who were lacking, for girls who were illegitimate daughters, and certainly not for girls who defied kings. I, of course, happen to be all three of those things.

I was ten years old when my grandfather first took me to Magnalia. Not only was it the hottest day of summer, an afternoon for bloated clouds and short tempers, it was the day I decided to ask the question that had haunted me ever since I had been placed in the orphanage.