“In light of this, and concerning reports I have received, I have come to a decision. By deed under my seal, I hereby reconstitute the Order of the Chevaliers of the Silver Circle. As Master of the Silver Circle, I do so appoint Guillot, Marquess of Villerauvais, Marshall of the Silver Circle, and Solène, Baroness of Bleaufontaine, Seneschal of the Silver Circle. I command you to go forth, and with all resources and support the Crown can provide, reestablish this body of fighting men and women trained in both the martial and magical arts. They will protect the kingdom from those who seek to pervert the use of magic for their own gains, from our foes from other lands, and will defend us and our people against the creatures known as ‘Venori,’ which have recently been seen abroad in the kingdom.”
The Venori. Perfect, Gill thought. He cast Solène a look, and she shrugged, with an expression on her face that said, “If not us, then whom?”
“What say you both?” Boudain asked.
Gill did his best to smile. “I am ever a servant of the Crown, your Highness.”
BOOKS BY DUNCAN M. HAMILTON
The First Blade of Ostia
THE DRAGONSLAYER
Dragonslayer
Knight of the Silver Circle
Servant of the Crown
WOLF OF THE NORTH
The Wolf of the North
Jorundyr’s Path
The Blood Debt
SOCIETY OF THE SWORD
The Tattered Banner
The Huntsman’s Amulet
The Telastrian Song
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DUNCAN M. HAMILTON holds master’s degrees in history and law, and has practiced as a barrister. He lives in Ireland, near the sea. Hamilton independently published his first trilogy, the Society of the Sword (The Tattered Banner, The Huntsman’s Amulet, and The Telastrian Song) and the Norse-inspired Wolf of the North trilogy, which were released in ebook and audio editions. Servant of the Crown completes the Dragonslayer trilogy, which began with Dragonslayer and continued in Knight of the Silver Circle.
Visit him online at duncanhamilton.com, or sign up for email updates here.
www.goodreads.com/duncanhamilton
www.facebook.com/DuncanMHamilton
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Maps
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Part Two
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Part Three
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SERVANT OF THE CROWN
Copyright © 2020 by Duncan M. Hamilton
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Richard Anderson
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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New York, NY 10271
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Hamilton, Duncan M., author.
Title: Servant of the crown / Duncan M. Hamilton.
Description: First edition. | New York: Tor, 2020. | Series: The dragonslayer; 3 | “A Tom Doherty Associates book.” |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019052038 | ISBN 9781250306852 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250306845 (hardback) | ISBN 9781250306838 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.
Classification: LCC PR6108.A5234 S47 2020 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019052038
eISBN 9781250306838
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First Edition: March 2020