Guy Gavriel Kay - River of Stars

HarperCollins Publishers

77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperCollins Publishers 2013

Copyright © Guy Gavriel Kay 2013

Map copyright © Martin Springett 2013

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2014

Cover photograph © Shutterstock.com

Guy Gavriel Kay 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

Source TPB ISBN: 9780007521913

Source HB ISBN: 9780007521906

Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007521920

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.

Version: 2014-06-23

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.

for Leonard and Alice Cohen

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Copyright HarperCollins Publishers 77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB www.harpercollins.co.uk Published by HarperCollins Publishers 2013 Copyright © Guy Gavriel Kay 2013 Map copyright © Martin Springett 2013 Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2014 Cover photograph © Shutterstock.com Guy Gavriel Kay 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 Source TPB ISBN: 9780007521913 Source HB ISBN: 9780007521906 Ebook Edition © 2013 ISBN: 9780007521920 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. Version: 2014-06-23 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.

Dedication for Leonard and Alice Cohen

Map

Principal Characters PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS (A partial list, characters generally identified by their role when first appearing) Associated with the court Emperor Wenzong of Kitai Chizu, his son and heir Zhizeng (“Prince Jen”), his ninth son Hang Dejin, prime minister of Kitai Hang Hsien, his son Kai Zhen, deputy prime minister of Kitai Yu-lan, his wife Tan Ming, one of his concubines Wu Tong, a eunuch, Kai Zhen’s ally, a military commander Sun Shiwei, an assassin Elsewhere in Kitai Ren Yuan, a clerk in the western village of Shengdu Ren Daiyan, his younger son Wang Fuyin, sub-prefect in Shengdu Tuan Lung (“Teacher Tuan”), founder of an academy in Shengdu Zhao Ziji, a military officer Lin Kuo, a court gentleman Lin Shan, his daughter and only child Qi Wai, husband to Shan Xi Wengao (“Master Xi”), formerly prime minister, a historian Lu Chen, friend to Xi Wengao, a poet, exiled Lu Chao, Chen’s brother, also exiled Lu Mah, Chen’s son Shao Bian, a young woman in the Great River town of Chunyu Shao Pan, her younger brother Sima Peng, a woman in Gongzhu, a hamlet near the Great River Zhi-li, her daughter Ming Dun, a soldier Kang Junwen, a soldier, escapee from occupied lands Shenwei Huang, a military commander On the steppe Emperor Te-kuan of the Xiaolu Yao-kan, his cousin and principal adviser Yan’po, kaghan of the Altai tribe Wan’yen, war-leader of the Altai Bai’ji, Wan’yen’s brother Paiya, kaghan of the Khashin tribe O-Pang, kaghan of the Jeni tribe O-Yan, his youngest brother

Part One PART ONE

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Part Two

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Part Three

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVIII

Chapter XIX

Part Four

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

Chapter XXII

Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIV

Part Five

Chapter XXV

Chapter XXVI

Chapter XXVII

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXIX

Chapter XXX

Acknowledgements

Also by Guy Gavriel Kay

About the Publisher

(A partial list, characters generally identified by their role when first appearing)

Associated with the court

Emperor Wenzong of Kitai

Chizu, his son and heir

Zhizeng (“Prince Jen”), his ninth son

Hang Dejin, prime minister of Kitai

Hang Hsien, his son

Kai Zhen, deputy prime minister of Kitai

Yu-lan, his wife

Tan Ming, one of his concubines

Wu Tong, a eunuch, Kai Zhen’s ally, a military commander

Sun Shiwei, an assassin

Elsewhere in Kitai

Ren Yuan, a clerk in the western village of Shengdu

Ren Daiyan, his younger son

Wang Fuyin, sub-prefect in Shengdu

Tuan Lung (“Teacher Tuan”), founder of an academy in Shengdu

Zhao Ziji, a military officer

Lin Kuo, a court gentleman

Lin Shan, his daughter and only child

Qi Wai, husband to Shan

Xi Wengao (“Master Xi”), formerly prime minister, a historian

Lu Chen, friend to Xi Wengao, a poet, exiled

Lu Chao, Chen’s brother, also exiled

Lu Mah, Chen’s son

Shao Bian, a young woman in the Great River town of Chunyu

Shao Pan, her younger brother

Sima Peng, a woman in Gongzhu, a hamlet near the Great River

Zhi-li, her daughter

Ming Dun, a soldier

Kang Junwen, a soldier, escapee from occupied lands

Shenwei Huang, a military commander

On the steppe

Emperor Te-kuan of the Xiaolu

Yao-kan, his cousin and principal adviser

Yan’po, kaghan of the Altai tribe

Wan’yen, war-leader of the Altai

Bai’ji, Wan’yen’s brother

Paiya, kaghan of the Khashin tribe

O-Pang, kaghan of the Jeni tribe

O-Yan, his youngest brother

Late autumn, early morning. It is cold, mist rising from the forest floor, sheathing the green bamboo trees in the grove, muffling sounds, hiding the Twelve Peaks to the east. The maple leaves on the way here are red and yellow on the ground, and falling. The temple bells from the edge of town seem distant when they ring, as if from another world.