Shards of Time
Authors: Lynn Flewelling
Praise for the Nightrunner Series
CASKET OF SOULS
“Full of intrigue and plots upon plots.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“A solid high fantasy novel, with engaging characters, espionage, magic, political intrigue, and a well-realized world, [though] the real draw of the book (or of any other Nightrunner book) is the characters. The cast of characters in this series probably consists of some of the most genuinely likeable people in high fantasy.”
—
Bookshelf Bombshells
THE WHITE ROAD
2010
Romantic Times
Reviewers’ Choice Award Nominee for Career Achievement in Sci Fi/Fantasy
“
The White Road
is an action-packed and terrific read—enjoy. Flewelling is at the top of her game, and her game is very, very good indeed.”
—P
ATRICIA
B
RIGGS
,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson series
“Picking up right where the fourth book left off, this is an action-packed and exciting read.… Seregil and Alec remain two of the most memorable heroes in fantasy.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Marvelous … one of the most entertaining series out today … What makes Flewelling’s books so appealing is that they manage to blend Tolkienesque world-building with characters who are three-dimensional, realistically drawn, and often gritty. Though the stories themselves are awash with spells, prophecies, war, and other high fantasy conceits, the characters are always at the foreground—characters who live and breathe and love.”
—
Rob Will Review
SHADOW’S RETURN
2008
Romantic Times
Reviewers’ Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel
“The fourth book in Flewelling’s superb Nightrunner series picks up right where the last book left off with nary a hiccup. Seregil and Alec continue to be entertaining, while Flewelling pulls off the near impossible in this compelling page-turner.”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
“Excellent! … This [is a] terrific fantasy thriller that can stand alone, but is enhanced by the other tales in the Skalan saga.”
—
BookReview
“Flewelling presents a well-developed fantasy world with faie from many clans, wizards, alchemists, and ambitious humans. Love and jealousies abound and drive the story.”
—
SFRevu
TRAITOR’S MOON
“While fans of Dungeons and Dragons–style lore will find enough wizardry, necromancy, swords, daggers, and devilishly clever traps here to satisfy the most avid, this book also provides entry to a complete and richly realized world that will please more mainstream readers.”
—
Bangor Daily News
STALKING DARKNESS
“Flewelling is bringing vigor back to the traditional fantasy form. In this highly engaging adventure novel, the most powerful magic is conjured out of friendship and loyalty. The author has a gift for creating characters you genuinely care about.”
—T
ERRI
W
INDLING
, editor of
The Years’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Eleventh Annual Collection
LUCK IN THE SHADOWS
“Memorable characters, an enthralling plot and truly daunting evil.… The characters spring forth from the page not as well crafted creations but as people.… The magic is refreshingly difficult, mysterious, and unpredictable. Lynn Flewelling has eschewed the easy shortcuts of clichéd minor characters and cookie-cutter backdrops to present a unique world.… I commend this one to your attention.”
—R
OBIN
H
OBB
“Part high fantasy and part political intrigue,
Luck in the Shadows
makes a nice change from the usual ruck of contemporary sword-and-sorcery. I especially enjoyed Lynn Flewelling’s obvious affection for her characters. At unexpected moments she reveals a well-honed gift for the macabre.”
—S
TEPHEN
R. D
ONALDSON
“Exceptionally well done and entertaining.”
—
Locus
Praise for The Tamír Triad
“Some of the most inventive and emotionally gripping fantasy to come down the pike in years … Flewelling takes the stock trappings of the sword-and-sorcery genre and turns them into a riveting epic story that is unique, disturbing, and enthralling.”
—
Mythprint
“Perhaps the deepest psychological novel I’ve ever read—the fantasy makes the unconscious issues real. Gorgeous but dark.”
—O
RSON
S
COTT
C
ARD
THE ORACLE’S QUEEN
“A splendidly stirring coming-of-age tale.”
—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)
“Magic, mystery, politics, emotions, and rare golden threads of the numinous all make this book a rich tapestry of a read right through the climax … This trilogy is a must for those who love fantasy with all the Good Stuff stitched together by intelligent world-building and a wise eye for the frailties, and the greatnesses, of the human spirit.”
—
SF Site
HIDDEN WARRIOR
“Stellar high-concept fantasy.”
—
Mysterious Galaxy
“A beautiful, compelling, dark tale.”
—
Booklist
“Satisfying … intriguing … exploring not merely issues of gender and power but questions of honor as well.”
—
Lambda Book Report
THE BONE DOLL’S TWIN
“A thoroughly engrossing new fantasy. It got its hooks into me on the first page, and didn’t let loose until the last. I am already looking forward to the next installment.”
—G
EORGE
R. R. M
ARTIN
“Lynn Flewelling’s
The Bone Doll’s Twin
outshines even the gleaming promise shown in her earlier three books. The story pulled me under and carried me off with it in a relentless tale that examines whether the ends can ever completely justify the means.”
—R
OBIN
H
OBB
“Masterful … readers will be hooked.”
—
Bangor Daily News
“Magnificent, impressive … capture[s] some of the same flavor found in T. H. White’s classic,
The Once and Future King
, as well as in Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea books. Factor in some essence of Mervyn Peake, and you have a winning combination.”
—
Realms of Fantasy
“An intensely poignant tale that begs the question—how far should one go to change destiny. Lynn Flewelling delivers a tightly crafted narrative with vivid characters and a detailed background that quickly pulls the reader into her world.”
—
Romantic Times
“Flewelling is the best thing that could have happened to the fantasy genre.”
—
BookWeb
Shards of Time
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.
A Del Rey eBook Edition
Copyright © 2014 by Lynn Flewelling
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
D
EL
R
EY
and the H
OUSE
colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
Map on
this page
by Virginia Norey; map on
this page
by Robert Bull
ISBN 978-0-345-52231-3
eBook ISBN 978-0-345-54673-9
Cover design: David G. Stevenson
Cover illustration: © Michael Komarck
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Maps
Chapter 1: Rain on the Roof
Chapter 2: A Timely Offer
Chapter 3: Seregil and Alec Go to Court
Chapter 4: Sails and Tales
Chapter 5: The Sacred Isle
Chapter 6: Madhouse
Chapter 7: Mirror Moon
Chapter 8: Micum Goes to Town
Chapter 9: Wizard’s Work
Chapter 10: Dreams and Arrivals
Chapter 11: Menosi
Chapter 12: The Oracle’s Caves
Chapter 13: Tears
Chapter 14: Night Visitors
Chapter 15: Detour
Chapter 16: Rhazat
Chapter 17: The Grey Land
Chapter 18: Ghosts and Shadows
Chapter 19: Lost
Chapter 20: Old Magic
Chapter 21: Kordira Lends a Hand
Chapter 22: Zella’s Return
Chapter 23: Beyond the Help of the Four
Chapter 24: Taking a Gamble
Chapter 25: Secrets, Salves, and a Spade
Chapter 26: Old Sorrows
Chapter 27: Despair and Hope
Chapter 28: Hard Choices
Chapter 29: Respite