The Core

The Core
Peter V. Brett

Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett brings one of the most imaginative fantasy sagas of the twenty-first century to an epic close.The war has begun…For time out of mind, bloodthirsty demons have stalked the night, culling the human race to scattered remnants dependent on half-forgotten magics to protect them.Two heroes arose—men as close as brothers, yet divided by bitter betrayal. Arlen Bales became known as the Painted Man, tattooed head-to-toe with powerful magic symbols that enable him to fight demons in hand-to-hand combat—and emerge victorious. Ahmann Jardir, armed with magically warded weapons, called himself the Deliverer, a figure prophesied to unite humanity and lead them to triumph in Sharak Ka—the final war against demonkind.But in their efforts to bring the war to the demons, Arlen and Jardir have set something in motion that may prove the end of everything they hold dear—a Swarm. Now the war is at hand, and humanity cannot hope to win it unless Arlen and Jardir, with the help of Arlen’s wife, Renna, can bend a captured demon prince to their will and force the devious creature to lead them to the Core, where the Mother of Demons breeds an inexhaustible army.Trusting their closest confidantes, Leesha, Inevera, Ragen, and Elissa, to rally the fractious people of the Free Cities and lead them against the Swarm, Arlen, Renna, and Jardir set out on a desperate quest into the darkest depths of evil—from which none of them expects to return alive.

Copyright (#ulink_63d0cccd-1b64-509c-960d-71e2203c56a1)

HarperVoyager

an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperVoyager 2017

Copyright © Peter V. Brett 2017

Cover illustration © Larry Rostant. Demon model by Millenium FX Ltd.

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2017

Ward artwork designed by Lauren K. Cannon, copyright © Peter V. Brett

Peter V. Brett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

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.

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.

Source ISBN: 9780007425723

Ebook Edition © September 2017 ISBN: 9780007425747

Version: 2018-09-24

Dedication (#ulink_db91e8ee-3c90-5e3c-91fa-808ffef2b604)

For Sirena Lilith, who is already changing my life in countless ways.

Contents

Cover (#u6e0d4f49-6184-566b-ab3a-1520ae743e8c)

Title Page (#u7c5caf1e-b5e8-5daa-8542-899f4fa97872)

Copyright (#ua203cb58-440c-5a70-89a8-8cf96b304d00)

Dedication (#ubf17bfec-dd4b-5950-bfe8-71cbd84e5f6a)

Map (#u72c3b105-5b5a-5a5d-a17d-dfbe12aee512)

Prologue: Gaolers

Chapter 1: Both (#u0578f131-2042-5abf-ae41-0f2f7d287af5)

Chapter 2: Olive (#u1d100ac8-1280-5698-9edf-80a2af66e89c)

Chapter 3: Countess Paper (#u25cf6779-67e3-558d-9029-85bc5ce54e5e)

Chapter 4: Ragen and Elissa (#u9e817b79-168b-5970-8580-53492911bfe8)

Chapter 5: The Pack (#uc1e25085-66e7-5f04-92ce-98cf2696a81b)

Chapter 6: Everam Is a Lie (#u1b097d32-b8b0-54e3-ad2f-fa22832fd334)

Chapter 7: The Eunuchs (#ua0fe7023-8293-53c1-9dff-702fd2ee1f76)

Chapter 8: Monastery (#udc7403ac-c03b-5853-91f8-6127f8988019)

Chapter 9: The Majah (#udc07155d-a38f-54e7-87e1-c6ee40cc5630)

Chapter 10: Family Matters (#ufac832c7-7b1d-50e5-b5bc-a48fec1aa39b)

Chapter 11: Sorcerers (#u17755790-d181-5a54-8e0d-b6ee762ff503)

Chapter 12: Drained (#u7abfb380-1da1-5595-b000-6725817a70b8)

Chapter 13: The Last Will and Testament of Arlen Bales (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14: Spankin’ (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15: Sisters Return (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16: Beloved (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17: Forest Fortress (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18: Homestead (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19: Hunted (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20: The Escort (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21: Neocounty (#litres_trial_promo)