King of Ashes

King of Ashes
Raymond E. Feist

A new novel from internationally bestselling author Raymond E. Feist.The world of Garn once boasted five great kingdoms, until the King of Ithrace was defeated and every member of his family executed by Lodavico, the ruthless King of Sandura, a man with ambitions to rule the world.Ithrace's ruling family were the legendary Firemanes, and represented a great danger to the other kings. Now four great kingdoms remain, on the brink of war. But rumour has it that the newborn son of the last king of Ithrace survived, carried off during battle and sequestered by the Quelli Nacosti, a secret society whose members are trained to infiltrate and spy upon the rich and powerful throughout Garn. Terrified that this may be true, and that the child will grow to maturity with bloody revenge in his heart, the four kings have placed a huge bounty on the child's head.In the small village of Oncon, Declan is apprenticed to a master blacksmith, learning the secrets of producing the mythical king's steel. Oncon is situated in the Covenant, a neutral region lying between two warring kingdoms. Since the Covenant was declared, the region has existed in peace, until violence explodes as slavers descend upon the village to capture young men to press as soldiers for Sandura.Declan must escape, to take his priceless knowledge to Baron Daylon Dumarch, ruler of Marquensas, perhaps the only man who can defeat Lodavico of Sandura, who has now allied himself with the fanatical Church of the One, which is marching across the continent, imposing its extreme form of religion upon the population and burning unbelievers as they go.Meanwhile, on the island of Coaltachin, the secret domain of the Quelli Nacosti, three friends are being schooled in the deadly arts of espionage and assassination: Donte, son of one of the most powerful masters of the order; Hava, a serious girl with fighting abilities that can set any opponent on their back; and Hatu, a strange, conflicted lad in whom fury and calm war constantly, whose hair is a bright and fiery shade of red…

RAYMOND E. FEIST

KING OF ASHES

THE FIREMANE SAGA: BOOK ONE

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 HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

Copyright © Raymond E. Feist 2018

Map © Jessica Feist 2018

Raymond E. Feist 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: 9780007264858 (HB)

Ebook Edition © April 2018 ISBN: 9780007290246

Version: 2018-03-08

This book is dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Matson.

He was perhaps the finest man I’ve ever known. His generosity, support, and affection went so far beyond any business relationship, he held me together more than once. He never judged; that was the heart of his wisdom, and the wisdom of his heart. His memory will endure and he is missed every day.

Table of Contents

Cover (#u8900bc85-39ca-52c3-b960-6518cf2b587f)

Title Page (#uc462f706-fff1-531c-bd7d-bdbac9e593e6)

Copyright (#ueb244c2c-a5a8-5e65-bdfa-6f8c07228ec2)

Dedication (#u77f2e8e3-7286-5703-8869-9a1eff730a7c)

Map (#u2529f497-9b4c-5f0a-a175-ac5e08ba7b72)

• Prologue •: A Murder of Crows and a King (#u82c0f672-ce01-5a35-83c5-12d4f2424b9d)

• Chapter One •: Passages and Departures (#u375825c3-b2f8-5d48-af69-30244eab24eb)

• Chapter Two •: A Task Completed (#u97e4d846-e49b-5f68-969a-a239b645e258)

• Chapter Three •: Dangerous Discovery (#u59d52106-a2d1-5b5d-b288-befa4fce7e27)

• Chapter Four •: New Considerations and an Old Friend (#uf5c83b4e-1e9d-5072-a23c-10a1648ecef5)

• Chapter Five •: A Parting and Trials (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Six •: Unequal Talents (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Seven •: An Incident on the Covenant Road (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Eight •: An Unexpected Change of Tide (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Nine •: A Hint of Things More Dire (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Ten •: In the Crimson Depths (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Eleven •: A Quick Instruction and Introduction (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Twelve •: Adrift and Alone (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Thirteen •: A Short Journey and a Strange Event (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Fourteen •: A Short Respite and Revelations (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Fifteen •: An Unexpected Visit and Rumours of War (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Sixteen •: Hints of Truth and Dark Designs (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Seventeen •: Unexpected Bounty and Sudden Danger (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Eighteen •: A Betrayal and Plot (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Nineteen •: A Change in the Wind (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Twenty •: Surprises and a Journey (#litres_trial_promo)

• Chapter Twenty-One •: A Quiet Journey Interrupted (#litres_trial_promo)