“My money or a hole in my head, I understand,” the man said. Odd sort of accent, sort of hard and sibilant at the same time, the voice soft but with a crackling undertone that shivered all the hairs on Vocho’s neck.
“That’s the idea,” Vocho said and arranged his feet so he’d have the perfect balance should he need to thrust. He’d never been one for killing for killing’s sake, but he’d not shy away if it was necessary. And a magician – it could be very necessary, if he wanted to live out the night. “What have you got? No, no dipping in your own pockets, thanks. I’m a thief not an idiot.”
The magician inclined his head in agreement. “So I see. I have nothing that would be of any value to you, I assure you. A few papers, the clothes I wear. Quills and pens and scalpels for my work, you understand.”
A quick movement of his hand that drew Vocho’s eye, a hand scarred beyond belief but in a bizarrely beautiful sort of way. Dark patterns flowed across knuckles, symbols etched there by who-knew-what sorcery. They seemed to move on their own, those patterns, a flow that took the eye and caught the brain, made him follow them like a starving dog following its master. An itch started between Vocho’s shoulder blades, familiar and yet not, and turned to a burn.
“Nothing for you,” the magician said. “Except I may have to kill you. With the utmost regret, of course.”
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Map
PART ONE 1
2
3
5
6
PART TWO 7
8
9
10
11
12
13
PART THREE 14
15
16
17
18
19
PART FOUR 20
21
22
23
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Glossary
Acknowledgments
extras
Newsletter
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Jon Skovron
Excerpt from Bane & Shadow copyright © 2016 by Jon Skovron
Excerpt from Swords and Scoundrels copyright © 2015 by Julia Knight
Map copyright © 2016 by Tim Paul
Cover design by Lauren Panepinto
Cover illustration by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First Edition: June 2016
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Print book interior design by Abby Reilly
ISBN: 978-0-316-26813-4
E3-20160517-DA-PC