Exile
Praise for Rowena Cory Daniells
“A fast moving, gripping fantasy.”
Fantasy Book Critic
on
The King’s Bastard
“Rowena Cory Daniells has a splendidly devious way with plotting.”
SFX
“It’s a story of kings and queens, beasts and warriors, magic and religion. If you like any of the aformentioned things, then you’ll probably join me in loving this book.”
Den of Geek
on
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
“
The King’s Bastard
is a cracking read and the pace never lets up.”
Geek Syndicate
“Royal intrigue, court politics and outlawed magic make for an exciting adventure.”
Gail Z. Martin, author of
The Chronicles of The Necromancer
, on
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
“Pacy and full of action and intrigue.”
Trudi Canavan, author of
The Black Magician
trilogy, on
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
“
The King’s Bastard
is a fabulous, rollicking, High Fantasy adventure that will keep you up at night, desperate to find out what happens next.”
Jennifer Fallon, author of
The Demon Child
trilogy
Also by Rowena Cory Daniells
The Outcast Chronicles
Besieged
Exile
Sanctuary
The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin
The King’s Bastard
The Uncrowned King
The Usurper
The King’s Man (
ebook
)
Rowena Cory Daniells
EXILE
Book Two of the Outcast Chronicles
First published 2012 by Solaris
an imprint of Rebellion Publishing Ltd,
Riverside House, Osney Mead,
Oxford, OX2 0ES, UK
www.solarisbooks.com
ISBN: (epub) 978-1-84997-434-9
ISBN: (mobi) 978-1-84997-435-6
Copyright © Rowena Cory Daniells 2012
Cover Art by Clint Langley
The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of he copyright owners.
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.
When King Charald presented me with his unwanted, half-blood son to rear, I knew nothing could prevent me from turning the boy into a weapon, least of all sentiment.
Taken from High Priest Oskane’s Private Journal
Chalcedonia and the Five Kingdoms
Prologue
Spring, Year 307, Celestial City
A
SHER LOVED HER,
but she was not his to love. They were both half-bloods. It was Hueryx, the T’En scholar, who had claimed her, and Hueryx was the father of her unborn child.
But that didn’t stop Asher loving her and, when she walked into the brotherhood scriptorium in tears, he put his brush down. ‘Sasoria, what’s wrong?’
‘It’s not fair,’ she whispered, fierce mulberry eyes ablaze. One hand settled protectively on her swollen belly. When her pregnancy went past seven small moons, they knew the infant would be T’En and she would have to give him up. ‘I don’t see why I should hand my child over to a sisterhood to raise.’
‘The covenant–’
‘Is wrong. Wrong and cruel!’
Asher didn’t know what to say; as much as he sympathised with her, he understood why the sisterhoods had forced the covenant on the brotherhoods.
Four hundred years ago one of the brotherhood leaders had attacked another all-father, kidnapping and killing his brotherhood’s T’En sons. There were reprisals, and more precious T’En boys had died. Before it could spiral out of control and a whole generation could be wiped out, the sisterhoods had intervened. Imoshen the Covenant-maker had rescued the T’En boys and made the brotherhood leaders swear a gift-enforced oath to hand over all T’En children.
‘The sisterhood will return him when he’s seventeen,’ Asher said. ‘By then, he’ll be old enough to survive the rivalry in the brotherhood ranks.’
‘By then, he’ll be grown up. He won’t acknowledge me.’
By then, the boy would have his gift and he’d be a danger to Malaunje until he learnt to control it. ‘Be thankful you have Vella.’
‘Little Aravelle.’ Sasoria smiled at the thought of her one-year-old Malaunje daughter. ‘But when she grows up, she’ll be forced to give up her T’En babies, too. It’s wrong, Asher, and it’s tearing me apart.’
A sob shook her. He opened his arms and she went to him.
The scriptorium door swung open.
‘Asher, I need–’ Scholar Hueryx swept in. He saw Sasoria and beckoned her.
Asher watched, helpless, as Sasoria went to the full-blood scholar. Hueryx kissed her tears away. Asher could feel the lure of Hueryx’s power as he tried to entice Sasoria to drop her defences. Once imprinted with his gift, she would be his devotee, bound to him for life.
So far, she had resisted, but one of these days her defences would fail and Asher would lose any hope of winning her back.
‘I have amazing news,’ Hueryx said. ‘All-father Rohaayel broke the covenant. He kept his T’En daughter hidden from the sisterhoods for seventeen years–’
‘No! He dared to keep a T’En girl?’ Sasoria was shocked and delighted. Healthy T’En infants were rare, and girls were even rarer. ‘What does it mean? Can we...’ Her hand settled on her belly.
‘I don’t know,’ Hueryx admitted, forehead crinkling. ‘But the power of the sisterhoods is being tested, and I’ve been called to the brotherhood’s inner circle.’ He gestured to Asher. ‘Find me the covenant book. I’ll need the exact wording of the original gift-enforced oath.’
Scholar Hueryx was the brotherhood’s historian. As his assistant, Asher transcribed and illustrated the beautiful books. He knew exactly where to find the tome.
When Hueryx left, Sasoria brought little Aravelle into the scriptorium. The toddler played on the floor, while Asher worked and Sasoria ground pigment to mix coloured inks.
It was dusk before Hueryx returned. By then, Sasoria slept on the daybed in front of the fire, with Aravelle in her arms. On seeing them, Hueryx smiled, signalled for silence and waved Asher over. As the scholar led him to the far side of the chamber, Asher could feel Hueryx’s power. It called to him, and he resented it fiercely.
‘I need you to do something for me,’ Hueryx whispered. His wine-dark eyes glittered with excitement. ‘There’s going to be trouble tomorrow–’
‘A brotherhood uprising?’
Hueryx nodded. ‘The all-fathers have finally united. Tomorrow, when the all-mothers are about to execute Rohaayel, our most powerful gift-warriors will ambush them. With the all-mothers dead, the gift oath will be severed.’
‘And you’ll save Rohaayel.’
‘What? No, he has to die. He knows nothing of this. He’s a means to an end. Once the all-mothers are dead, we’ll confront their seconds and force them to dismantle the covenant.’
‘And if they don’t?’
‘We’ll kill them all. Many of us will die, but after the most powerful females are dead and we prevent the young ones from learning how to use their gifts, as Rohaayel did with his daughter, the brotherhoods will have the upper hand.’
‘You’re afraid there will be reprisals.’
‘Yes. But hopefully, once the T’En females learn the all-fathers have united, they’ll dismantle the covenant. This is inner circle business, Asher. I only tell you, because you must promise to protect Sasoria if I die.’
‘Of course.’ He looked down to hide the hope in his eyes, but he suspected Hueryx knew.
The next morning, they stood on the balcony to watch the all-father and his seconds leave the palace. The three brotherhood leaders wore their torcs of office on their broad shoulders. Their silver hair was bound in elaborate plaits. With their long-knives on belts slung low on their hips and their chests bare to reveal their duelling scars, they looked beautiful and dangerous.
Hueryx hugged Sasoria. ‘This is a historic day. We’ll be able to say we were there when the brotherhoods reclaimed the right to raise their own sons.’
On the street below, the all-father and his two seconds met up with other brotherhood leaders. There was no laughter, no boasting or jesting. They greeted each other with a single nod then strode off, determined to confront the sisterhoods.
‘I don’t understand,’ Sasoria said. ‘If Rohaayel raised his daughter, why did Imoshen turn him in to the sisterhoods?’
Hueryx shrugged.
Asher frowned. Downstairs the Malaunje whispered that Rohaayel had tried to get a powerful sacrare grandson from Imoshen. Rohaayel had planned to take the boy and kill Imoshen, but she’d found out and run to the sisterhoods seeking sanctuary. As for the sacrare boy, some said he’d been stillborn, others said he’d died when Imoshen made her way across Chalcedonia in the middle of winter. Asher didn’t know what to believe.
Sasoria rubbed her lower back.
‘You’re tired. You should rest.’ Hueryx picked up the toddler who had been playing at his feet and handed her to Asher. The scholar kissed Sasoria’s cheek and his voice grew thick with emotion. ‘Know that I love you.’
She laughed, unaware that this could be goodbye and kissed him fondly. ‘You’ll come as soon as it’s official?’
Hueryx nodded.
Asher led her to the scholar’s private chamber.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to stay.’
But they both knew he would. He’d been her lover before Hueryx took a fancy to her, and he was going to outwait the T’En scholar.
