Blood and Memory (48 page)

BOOK: Blood and Memory

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The Queen of Briavel’s resolve crystallized, and by the time the startling news was delivered that Chancellor Krell had jumped to his death from the battlements, her heart was hardened. She shed no tear at the tragedy, for it was because of him that Briavel might go to war and she would be held responsible for leading more of her young men to their deaths.

It must be avoided. She searched her mind for ideas. What could she give to Celimus as a sweetener? The answer was the same bleak solution she had arrived at many times before. She would give Celimus herself. No more stalling or hoping for deliverance from her fate. Perhaps she could suggest bringing the marriage date forward? Yes, it made sense and would please the King, prove her commitment to this union.

Valentyna called for a secretary. Arrangements needed to be made for Krell’s funeral…and for a wedding.

It would be wonderful to write a simple but huge “thank you” and hope that everyone who is connected with this work somehow knows how grateful I am for their support. There are always those, however, whose contribution makes such a difference that they deserve individual recognition. That list, which grows longer with each book, includes:

Gary Havelberg and Sonya Caddy—draft readers I’ve now come to rely on for guidance. Then there’s Robin Hobb, my long-distance friend and mentor, whose own work continues to inspire and drive me harder as does the work of Guy Gavriel Kay… They both make me appreciate what along journey is still ahead for me! My parents for looking after our
children while I roam the world for my work and for freeing me up to write without guilt.

Pip Klimentou, my good friend and early-morning caller who ensures I don’t sleep in after late nights of writing. Thank you. A nod to the members of the Fab Fantasy Book Club and to all the regular visitors to my bulletin board—for your encouragement and constant support.

No thanks are complete without a mention for my wizard agent, Chris Lotts, who brought me together with the fine team at HarperUS/Eos—Kate Nintzel is a fun and generous editor to work with.

Finally, love and endless thanks to the three patient men in my life—my sons Will and Jack, and their father Ian, my rock.

About the Author

Born in 1960 and raised in southern England, FIONA McINTOSH spent an early childhood in the gold-mining camp of Bibiani in Ghana, where her father was working. She studied in Brighton before starting a career in PR and marketing in London. She made Australia her home in 1980, continuing in a travel-marketing career with an ad agency, a tourism authority, and an international airline. Fiona married her magazine-publisher husband, Ian, and they now live in Adelaide with their teenage twin sons, Will and Jack. Visit her website at
www.fionamcintosh.com
.

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Credits

Cover design by Ervin Serrano

Cover illustration by Les Petersen

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

BLOOD AND MEMORY. Copyright © 2003, 2005 by Fiona Mcintosh. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.

PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

This book was originally published in a mass market edition in 2003 by Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, Australia.

Mobipocket Reader February 2006

ISBN 0-06-115401-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mcintosh, Fiona, 1961—

Blood and memory / Fiona Mcintosh.

p. cm.—(The quickening; bk. 2)

ISBN 0-06-074758-7 (trade pbk.)

10 98765432 1

About the Publisher

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.