The Master of Misrule
Read The Master of Misrule Online
Authors: Laura Powell
THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2010 by Laura Powell
Jacket art copyright © 2012 by Richard Merritt
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in paperback in Great Britain by Orchard Books, a division of Hachette Children’s Books, a Hachette Livre UK Company, London, in 2010.
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Powell, Laura.
Master of Misrule / Laura Powell. — 1st American ed.
p. cm.
Sequel to: The Game of Triumphs.
Summary: The Game of Triumphs lies in ruins, but Cat and her friends must enter the Arcanum once again to usurp the Master of Misrule, a corrupt leader who threatens to unleash the power of the game into London and the world at large.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89784-9
[1. Supernatural—Fiction. 2. Role playing—Fiction. 3. Games—Fiction. 4. Tarot—Fiction. 5. Space and time—Fiction. 6. London (England)—Fiction. 7. England—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.P87757Mas 2012
[Fic]—dc23
2011021135
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.1
To Lucy
“For there is no friend like a sister.”
—Christina Rossetti
Cat was an ordinary London teenager until a chance encounter led her to the Game. After that, nothing would ever be the same.
The Game of Triumphs had existed since ancient times, but it was known only to a select few. Based on the lore of Tarot, the Game took place in an alternate world called the Arcanum. The players were divided among four courts—Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles—and each court had its own master. Under the rule of these kings and queens, everyday men and women took on the role of knights, competing for marvelous rewards. Fame, wealth, love, inspiration—no prize was too great. To win, each knight must venture into the Arcanum and complete a series of moves determined by a hand of cards. The Arcanum could be dangerous and unpredictable, but the prizes were worth dying for—and many players did.
Cat needed the Arcanum to solve the mystery of her parents’ death. But the Game was invitation-only, and because Cat stumbled into it by accident, she was allowed only to watch—able to see the possibilities, but not to compete for her own prize.
So Cat teamed up with three other watchers who were equally desperate to play: Flora, Blaine and Toby. Together they fought to change the rules, depose the kings and queens, and make the Game open to all.
Their guide was the Hanged Man—a prisoner who could only be freed by their success. And succeed they did. The Game would never be the same. It was time for Cat and her companions to claim their prizes. Or so they thought.…
Those spacious regions where our fancies roam,
Pain’d by the past, expecting ills to come,
In some dread moment, by the fates assign’d,
Shall pass away, nor leave a rack behind;
And Time’s revolving wheels shall lose at last
The speed that spins the future and the past;
And, sovereign of an undisputed throne,
Awful eternity shall reign alone.
—Petrarch,
Triumph of Eternity
| King of Cups | |
| Queen of Cups | |
| Knight of Cups | |
| Knave of Cups | |
| Ace of Cups | Root of Water |
| Two of Cups | Reign of Love |
| Three of Cups | Reign of Abundance |
| Four of Cups | Reign of Blended Pleasure |
| Five of Cups | Reign of Lost Pleasure |
| Six of Cups | Reign of Past Pleasure |
| Seven of Cups | Reign of Illusionary Success |
| Eight of Cups | Reign of Abandoned Success |
| Nine of Cups | Reign of Material Happiness |
| Ten of Cups | Reign of Perfected Success |
| | |
| King of Pentacles | |
| Queen of Pentacles | |
| Knight of Pentacles | |
| Knave of Pentacles | |
| Ace of Pentacles | Root of Earth |
| Two of Pentacles | Reign of Change |
| Three of Pentacles | Reign of Material Works |
| Four of Pentacles | Reign of Possession |
| Five of Pentacles | Reign of Material Trouble |
| Six of Pentacles | Reign of Material Success |
| Seven of Pentacles | Reign of Success Unfulfilled |
| Eight of Pentacles | Reign of Prudence |
| Nine of Pentacles | Reign of Sheltered Luxury |
| Ten of Pentacles | Reign of Wealth |
| | |
| King of Swords | |
| Queen of Swords | |
| Knight of Swords | |
| Knave of Swords | |
| Ace of Swords | Root of Air |
| Two of Swords | Reign of Peace Restored |
| Three of Swords | Reign of Sorrow |
| Four of Swords | Reign of Rest from Strife |
| Five of Swords | Reign of Defeat |
| Six of Swords | Reign of Earned Success |
| Seven of Swords | Reign of Futility |
| Eight of Swords | Reign of Shortened Force |
| Nine of Swords | Reign of Despair |
| Ten of Swords | Reign of Ruin |
| | |
| King of Wands | |
| Queen of Wands | |
| Knight of Wands | |
| Knave of Wands | |
| Ace of Wands | Root of Fire |
| Two of Wands | Reign of Dominion |
| Three of Wands | Reign of Established Strength |
| Four of Wands | Reign of Perfected Work |
| Five of Wands | Reign of Strife |
| Six of Wands | Reign of Victory |
| Seven of Wands | Reign of Valor |
| Eight of Wands | Reign of Swiftness |
| Nine of Wands | Reign of Great Strength |
| Ten of Wands | Reign of Oppression |
