The Fatal Tree
Authors: Stephen R. Lawhead
What Readers Are Saying about
The Bright Empires Series
“
His mastery of the art of description is beyond belief
(I had to stop several times to jump up and down because I loved his style so much, seriously). His level of attention to details like period mindset and speech is a delight to behold (especially for die-hard background-first novelists like me).”
—S
IR
E
METH
M.
“This is
a story that has it all
: mystery, history, damsels in distress, and a mind-bending meditation on the nature of reality. It is
equal parts
Raiders of the Lost Ark
,
National Treasure
, and
Jumper
. Highly recommended!”
—C
HAD
J.
“
Filled with descriptions that beguile all five senses
and all the beauty and charm of the language I have come to expect from Lawhead, this book is
a fascinating
blend of fantasy and sci-fi.
”
—J
ENELLE
S.
“. . . a
hold-your-breath
beginning to a new series
. This novel mixes ancient history, time travel, alternate realities, mystery, physics, and fantasy, to create a story so compelling that
I find myself recommending it to any who will listen.
”
—S
HEILA
P.
“[A] sure winner for eager sci-fi readers . . .
The vivid imagery and witty
lines help keep the reader on the edge of their seats.”
—J
ERRY
P.
“
Time travel and high adventure abound
in this brand new title from veteran author Stephen R. Lawhead.”
—B
EN
H.
“
Imagine Narnia merged with Hitchhiker’s Guide,
and you have a starting point for the adventures of Kit Livingstone.”
—R
ICK
M.
“Lawhead vividly describes the sights, sounds and smells of the markets in Prague, the streets of Restoration England, and even the dry heat of Ancient Egypt . . .
The premise of ley line travel is fascinating yet mysterious
, with scientific definitions that are detailed without becoming too technical. The characters are personable and complex, and
it’s easy to get caught up in their search for that
elusive map.”
—M
ALINDA
D.
“. . .
an excellent, mysterious storyline
that draws the reader in.”
—K
IERAN
© 2014 by Stephen Lawhead
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Cover design © 2014 Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978 1 78264 029-5
e-ISBN 978 1 78264 060-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lawhead, Steve.
The fatal tree / Stephen R. Lawhead.
pages cm. -- (Bright empires ; Quest the last)
ISBN 978-1-78264-029-5 (hard cover)
1. Space and time—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3562.A865S53 2014
813’.54--dc23
2014009866
13 14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my mother, Lois,
It all started with those Little Golden Books
Other Books by Stephen R. Lawhead
T
HE
B
RIGHT
E
MPIRES
S
ERIES
:
T
HE
S
KIN
M
AP
T
HE
B
ONE
H
OUSE
T
HE
S
PIRIT
W
ELL
T
HE
S
HADOW
L
AMP
T
HE
F
ATAL
T
REE
K
ING
R
AVEN
T
RILOGY
:
H
OOD
S
CARLET
T
UCK
P
ATRICK
, S
ON OF
I
RELAND
T
HE
C
ELTIC
C
RUSADES
:
T
HE
I
RON
L
ANCE
T
HE
B
LACK
R
OOD
T
HE
M
YSTIC
R
OSE
B
YZANTIUM
S
ONG OF
A
LBION
T
RILOGY
:
T
HE
P
ARADISE
W
AR
T
HE
S
ILVER
H
AND
T
HE
E
NDLESS
K
NOT
T
HE
P
ENDRAGON
C
YCLE
:
T
ALIESIN
M
ERLIN
A
RTHUR
P
ENDRAGON
G
RAIL
A
VALON
E
MPYRION
I: T
HE
S
EARCH FOR
F
IERRA
E
MPYRION
II: T
HE
S
IEGE OF
D
OME
D
REAM
T
HIEF
T
HE
D
RAGON
K
ING
T
RILOGY
:
I
N THE
H
ALL OF THE
D
RAGON
K
ING
T
HE
W
ARLORDS OF
N
IN
T
HE
S
WORD AND THE
F
LAME
Oh,Thou! That dwellest wide diffus’d around,
Where all creative energies abound;
Omniscient Power! Eternal, Undefin’d, Productive Essence,
and Mysterious Mind: What shall we call Thee?
How Thy powers express?
Or, how Thine awful majesty address?
O’er earth we see Thee,
and Thy footsteps trace Through the Bright Empires of unbounded space…
from
T
he
A
chillead
by
W
illiam
J
ohn
T
homas
, 1830
Contents
Important People in the Bright Empires series
Previously in the Bright Empires series
The Fatal Tree
Chapter 1: In Which Next Steps Are Contemplated
Chapter 2: In Which a Lesson Is Learned the Hard Way
Chapter 3: In Which Rage Leads to Reverie
Chapter 4: In Which a Problem Is Laid to Rest
Chapter 5: In Which a Final Destination Is Reached
Chapter 6: In Which the Wheels of Justice Grind
Chapter 7: In Which the Tump Is Not to Be Trusted
Part Two: Of Crime and Punishment
Chapter 8: In Which Sleep Is Overrated
Chapter 9: In Which Contempt Breeds Confrontation
Chapter 10: In Which Panic Is Postponed
Chapter 11: In Which Wilhelmina Closes a Cosmic Loop
Chapter 12: In Which a Match Is Made
Chapter 13: In Which Persimmons Are the Bitterest Fruit
Chapter 14: In Which Justice Must Be Seen to Be Served
Chapter 15: In Which a Matter of Life and Death Is Raised
Chapter 16: In Which Hate Seeks Its True Source
Chapter 17: In Which the Peace Exacts a Price
Chapter 18: In Which an Oversight Is Corrected
Chapter 19: In Which Genesis Is Invoked
Chapter 20: In Which the Cosmic Cliff Is Contemplated
Part Four: The Point of No Return
Chapter 21: In Which a Shallow Grave Must Suffice
Chapter 22: In Which the Wheels of Justice Grind On
Chapter 23: In Which the River Is the Only Way
Chapter 24: In Which a Pertinent Question Is Posed
Chapter 25: In Which the Fat Hits the Fan
Chapter 26: In Which the Past Continues to Haunt
Chapter 27: In Which the Gaolbird Sings
Chapter 28: In Which Our Questors Debate the Efficacy of Conversion
Chapter 29: In Which Wilhelmina Calls in a Debt
Chapter 30: In Which a Few Things Begin to Make Sense
Chapter 31: In Which the Past Is Prelude
Chapter 32: In Which the Bone House Yields a Secret
Chapter 33: In Which There Is No Going Back
Chapter 34: In Which the Numbers Do Not Lie
Chapter 35: In Which Footsteps Are Traced
Essay: “On What Happens Next”
by Stephen Lawhead
Anen
—Friend of
Arthur Flinders-Petrie
, high priest of the temple of Amun in Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty.
Archelaeus Burleigh, Earl of Sutherland
—Nemesis of
Flinders-Petrie
,
Cosimo
,
Kit
, and all right-thinking people.
Arthur Flinders-Petrie
—Also known as
The Man Who Is Map
, patriarch of his line. Begat
Benedict
, who begat
Charles
, who begat
Douglas
.
Balthazar Bazalgette
—The Lord High Alchemist at the court of
Rudolf II
in Prague, friend and confidant of
Wilhelmina.
Benedict Flinders-Petrie
—The son of
Arthur
and
Xian-Li
and father of
Charles
.
Brendan Hanno
—Attached to the Zetetic Society in Damascus, an advisor to ley travellers.
Burley Men
—
Con
,
Dex
,
Mal
, and
Tav
.
Lord Burleigh’s
henchmen. They keep a Stone Age cat called
Baby
.
Cassandra Clarke
—A post-graduate palaeontologist who accidently gets caught up in the quest for the Skin Map.