“Like Desmond Spendlove.”
“Yes. He walked the faneway of Mamres.”
“So this is part of a faneway?” Winna asked. “But the bodies…”
“It's new,” Stephen said. “Look at the stone. There's no moss or lichen, no weather stains. This might have been built yesterday. The renegade monks and Sefry who were following the Greffyn were using it to find old sedoi in the forest. I think it had the power to scent them out, and made a circuit of those which still had some latent power. Then Desmond and his bunch performed sacrifices, I think to try to find out what saint the sedoi belonged to. I also don't think they were doing it right—they lacked certain information. Whoever did this did it correctly.” He passed his palm over his eyes. “And it's my fault. When I was at d'Ef I translated ancient, forbidden scrifts concerning these things. I gave them the information they needed to do what you see here.” He shook, looking paler than ever. “They're building a faneway, you see?”
“Who?” Aspar said. “Spendlove and his renegades are dead.”
“Not all of them,” Stephen said. “This was built after we killed Spendlove.”
“But what saint left his mark here?” Winna whispered.
Stephen retched again, rubbed his forehead, and stood straight again.
“It's my place to find that out,” he said.
“All of you, wait here—please.”
Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as “unsold or destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it.
This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming edition of The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.
The Briar King is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
A Del Rey® Book
Published by The Random House Publishing Group
Copyright © 2003 by J. Gregory Keyes
Excerpt from The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes copyright © 2004
by J. Gregory Keyes
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eISBN: 978-0-307-56563-1
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Table of Contents
PART ITHE COMING OF THE GREFFYN
CHAPTER ONETHE HOLTER
CHAPTER TWOIN ANOTHER TAVERN
CHAPTER THREETHE SQUIRE
CHAPTER FOURTHE NOVICE
CHAPTER FIVETHE PRINCESS
CHAPTER SIXTHE KING
CHAPTER SEVENTOR SCATH
CHAPTER EIGHTBLACK ROSES
CHAPTER NINEON THE SLEEVE
CHAPTER TENTHE TAFF
CHAPTER ELEVENWIDDERSHINS
PART IIDEMESNES OF NIGHT AND FOREST
CHAPTER ONETHE HALAFOLK
CHAPTER TWOD'EF
CHAPTER THREERUMORS OF WAR
CHAPTER FOURREWN ALUTH
CHAPTER FIVEBROTHERHOOD
CHAPTER SIXMOTHER GASTYA
CHAPTER EIGHTSCRIFTI
CHAPTER NINEEXILE
CHAPTER TENINTO THE TANGLE
CHAPTER ELEVENDEPARTURES
CHAPTER TWELVESPENDLOVE
CHAPTER THIRTEENTHE BRIAR KING
PART IIITHE RECONDITE STIRS
CHAPTER ONEIN THE WARHEARTH
CHAPTER TWOTHE PRINCE OF SHADE
CHAPTER THREEFLIGHT AND FANCY
CHAPTER FOURTHE FANEWAY
CHAPTER FIVEDUEL IN THE DARK
CHAPTER SIXTHE ABODE OF GRACES
CHAPTER SEVENGIFTS
CHAPTER EIGHTCOURSE OF STUDY
CHAPTER NINETHE KEPT
CHAPTER TENLOST
CHAPTER ELEVENTHE WOMB OF MEFITIS
CHAPTER TWELVEA QUICK DECISION
CHAPTER THIRTEENA MEETING
CHAPTER FOURTEENPURSUIT
PART IVTHE BLOOD OF REGALS
CHAPTER ONEAN EXCURSION
CHAPTER TWOTRACKS
CHAPTER THREEPLOTS
CHAPTER FOURAN ENCOUNTER
CHAPTER FIVEMEETING ON THE HEADLAND
CHAPTER SIXTHE EVE OF FIUSSANAL
CHAPTER SEVENSACRIFICE
CHAPTER EIGHTTHE PLAIN OF TERROR
CHAPTER NINENIGHT VISITORS
CHAPTER TENTHE SOUNDING
CHAPTER ELEVENCHANGELING
CHAPTER TWELVEA LESSON IN THE SWORD
CHAPTER THIRTEENTHE RAVEN'S SONG
CHAPTER FOURTEENTHE ARRIVAL
CHAPTER FIFTEENOBSERVATIONS QUAINT AND CURIOUS
CHAPTER SIXTEENTHE EMPEROR SITS