Kate walked the halls of Barwich Manor and the ghosts walked with her. They were good spirits, as Akiel had said. The spirit of the little girl who had sailed the world with her father and met a dragon and a man who had told her to fight for her dreams. The spirit of the young woman who had been a pirate and had held a future king at gunpoint. The spirit of the woman who had boldly spoken in defense of her friend at his court-martial.
The spirit of the woman who had fought for her dreams and seen them come true and would continue to dream. And to fight.
Thomas came to her and put his arm around her and the two of them left the past to the spirits and walked together into the future.
Amelia Nettleship would later write a book telling the tale of the four friends, Thomas and Kate, Phillip and Sophia. The book would be immensely successful and bring Amelia the fame and fortune she had known would be hers since her days as a student of Mrs. Ridgeway’s Academy for Young Ladies.
Amelia’s book ended with the sentence: They lived happily ever after.
They didn’t, of course. No one ever does. But their joys were numerous, while their sorrows were few and strengthened the bonds of love that held them together.
And so, after all, who are we to argue with such an eminent journalist as Amelia Nettleship? We will therefore end our book as she ended hers.
They lived happily ever after.
AUTHORS’ NOTE
Alan reminds Henry of Naval Regulations in this quote: “Any captain or other officer, mariner or other, who shall basely desert their duty or station in the ship and run away while the enemy is in fight, or in time of action, or entice others to do so, shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial shall inflict.” (Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies of North America, November 28, 1775.)
Randolph quotes a naval hero of the American Revolution, John Paul Jones: “It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win.”
Books by MARGARET WEIS and ROBERT KRAMMES
DRAGON BRIGADE
Shadow Raiders
Storm Riders*
The Seventh Sigil*
DRAGON CORSAIRS
Spymaster*
Privateer*
Kingmaker*
*A TOR BOOK
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
MARGARET WEIS, the internationally bestselling cocreator of Dragonlance and many other popular fantasy series, was born in Missouri and worked as an editor for TSR. She lives in Wisconsin. You can sign up for email updates here.
ROBERT KRAMMES is a native Ohioan living in Cincinnati and has collaborated with Margaret Weis on the bestselling Dragon Brigade trilogy, the final volume of which was The Seventh Sigil. The world of the Dragon Brigade is continued in the Dragon Corsairs series. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Maps
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Epilogue
Authors’ Note
Books by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
About the Authors
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
KINGMAKER
Copyright © 2019 by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Didier Graffet
Dragon ornament © 2014 by Jeff Easley
Map and family tree by Ellisa Mitchell
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates
120 Broadway
New York, NY 10271
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-8111-8 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-7797-9 (ebook)
eISBN 9781466877979
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First Edition: August 2019