Ascendant's Rite (The Moontide Quartet)
Read Ascendant's Rite (The Moontide Quartet) Online
Authors: David Hair
Ascendant’s Rite
Also by David Hair
Also by David Hair
T
HE
M
OONTIDE
Q
UARTET
Mage’s Blood
Scarlet Tides
Unholy War
T
HE
R
ETURN OF
R
AVANA
The Pyre
Title
Copyright
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books
Jo Fletcher Books
an imprint of
Quercus Publishing Ltd
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
An Hachette UK company
Copyright © 2015 David Hair
Maps © 2012 Emily Faccini
The moral right of David Hair to be
identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
TPB ISBN 978 1 78087 207 0
EBOOK ISBN 978 1 78429 038 2
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
businesses, organizations, places and events are
either the product of the author’s imagination
or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or
locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my sister Robyn, dedicated nurse, amazing cook and cake-decorator, and the reason Crabtree & Evelyn shares are a good buy.
Robyn was delivered to my parent’s door in September 1966, just over a year after they took possession of me. The deliverer wasn’t a stork but a Te Puke doctor – it’s never been a secret to either of us that we were adopted, and it has never been a cause for drama or trauma. Under the wings of our adoptive parents’ inspirational partnership, we’ve shared all that ‘natural’ siblings share, by which I mean we’ve at various stages played and argued, competed and collaborated, hugged and harangued, fought and made up. As adoptive children, our siblings could have been anyone – I’m glad, Robyn, that mine is you.
Contents
P
ROLOGUE
The Vexations of Emperor Constant (Part Four)
Solarus Crystals
The Leviathan Bridge is the first piece of inanimate gnostic artifice that is entirely self-sustaining: it draws energy from the Sun and converts it to gnostic energy to sustain it against the immense forces of the ocean. The Sun’s energy is harvested by giant clusters of special fused crystals in the domes of five great towers. They, more than the Bridge itself, point the way forward for the next developments in the craft of magic.
O
RDO
C
OSTRUO
A
RCANUM,
P
ONTUS, 877
Pallas, Rondelmar
Summer, 927
1 Year until the Moontide
A frightened falcon perched on the chandelier above and shrieked at the corpse in the middle of the Inner Council room. The counsellors just gaped, speechless. Gurvon Gyle pressed back into his chair, distancing himself from what he’d just seen. It was one thing to plot the sacrifice of an army; it was quite another to see the emperor sanctioning illegal use of the gnosis – in this case, the taking of a human soul and placing it into the body of a beast. Even here in Pallas, where the pure-blood magi-nobility ruled supreme and mere humans were little more than chattels, this was surely without precedent.
I’ve just seen a Souldrinker perform a soul-stealing, and in the emperor’s own Inner Council Chamber! I must always remember this moment . . . though Kore knows who I could ever tell.
His eyes moved from the bird to the man who’d just demonstrated this horror: the Souldrinker or ‘Dokken’ introduced as Delta, named for the Lantric brand on his forehead – though Delta appeared to be more pawn than perpetrator: it was the Dokken’s master, Ervyn Naxius, who’d truly done this. The old mage was cackling like a drunken grandfather in a Low Street tavern at the acclaim currently being heaped upon him. Gyle found his own hands applauding, his mouth spouting praise as if for a tourney victor, but his mind was reeling.
Beside him, Belonius Vult, his fellow conspirator, looked triumphant – as well he might: after all, this was his part of the plan for the conquest of Antiopia.
What else have you got up your sleeve, Bel?
Vult graciously accepted an appreciative nod from Mater-Imperia Lucia. The matronly former Empress – now a Living Saint – was effectively the ruler of the Rondian Empire; her opinion mattered even more than that of her son, Emperor Constant, who was staring into space, his sword-hand clenching and unclenching as if he might leap into the saddle and ride upon Antiopia this very instant. He might be an emperor, and in his mid-twenties, but few would deny – in private at least – that Constant had the demeanour of a spoilt squire.
The others present, some of the most powerful men in the Empire, also made great show of praising Naxius, though Gyle could detect wariness at all this acclaim being heaped upon another. Imperial Treasurer Calan Dubrayle, who’d sponsored Vult in bringing in Naxius, had the most reason to bask in the reflected glory. The great General Kaltus Korion clearly had his pleasure in anticipating new super-beasts for his armies tempered by seeing another’s stock rise so dramatically. And Tomas Betillon, Governor of Hebusalim, looked no better pleased: his smile was sour, his praise muted.
The only person present who wasn’t joining in the applause was Grand Prelate Dominius Wurther. The obese churchman lurched to his feet and denounced Naxius and his thrall in no uncertain terms. ‘My Lord Emperor, this is
sacrilege
! This
abomination
that Naxius has demonstrated is a violation of the Book of Kore! I must protest!’
Emperor Constant looked away, but he showed no sign of repentance, so the Grand Prelate turned to Lucia, raising his hands beseechingly. ‘Mater-Imperia, the Souldrinkers are our oldest enemies. This “Delta” must by our own law be put to death: his very existence is an affront to Kore. We must not allow ourselves to see virtue in this abomination.’
Lucia remained calm. ‘Dominius, you are forever telling us that Kore has a reason for all He does, and all He allows in this world, are you not? So does it not follow that the Dokken must be part of His plan?’
Wurther’s jowls wobbled. ‘Mater-Imperia, that is one interpretation, but our theologists—’
‘Please, don’t let him bore us with theology,’ Betillon groaned.
‘Hear hear,’ Kaltus Korion agreed. ‘Since when has morality ever troubled you, you old windbag? The Church of Kore takes a percentage on every slave sold, as we all know. All you’re worried about is that these new creatures might cause you to miss out on your cut.’
‘Not all are as venal as you, Kaltus Korion! This deplorable proposal cannot be sanctioned – it is in every way a violation of Kore’s Law!’ Wurther pointed skywards to invoke Kore Himself. ‘I can quote you every psalm that forbids such gnosis! The Church cannot support this.’
Gurvon was mildly impressed. He’d always believed the churchman to be utterly self-serving, but this display hinted at something resembling a moral compass. He was surprised such a thing had survived decades in the upper echelons of the clergy.
‘I hear you, Dominius,’ Lucia replied evenly, ‘and I understand your reservations. Indeed, I am pleased you’ve voiced them. But I will remind you of the governing principle of this gathering: that what is agreed by the emperor becomes the will of us all, separately and collectively; we each of us champion my son’s will when we leave this room.’
‘But Mater-Imperia, there has to be limits – the Laws of Kore stand above us all!’
‘But
we
are the Blessed of Kore,’ Vult put in. ‘We’re the living expression of His will: so surely what we agree upon now must outweigh a book written long ago and with no concept of the choices and threats that face us now.’
Gurvon glanced at Vult.
You could justify anything you like with that, Bel.