This Scepter'd Isle
DENORIEL:
WARRIOR OF KORONOS;
RIDER IN THE WILD HUNT
. . . NURSEMAID???
Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a
fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently
to the valley of the FarSeers.
A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of
our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist
seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface
cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant,
red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . .
. and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that
Denoriel recognized—the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that
name.
The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before
him--briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals
of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of
exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems--—twice, if Denoriel read
the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be
repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the
difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.
“And this,” said the lady of the ancient ways, “Is what will come to
pass if that child does not reign.”
Fires . . .
Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores,
hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess
to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers.
Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to
be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and
were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a
blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand
of Spain and the Inquisition.
“You are the key to all of this.” The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his.
"The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and
grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its
protector.”
“But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid—” he said, feebly.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mercedes Lackey is the author of the Bardic Voices series and
the SERRAted Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series (DAW),
and many more. Of her writing, Stephen King has stated, “She’ll keep you
up long past your bedtime,” and Locus raved, “Lackey is one of the
best storytellers in the field.” She has her own fan club with over 1,000
members, and was one of the first writers to have an online newsgroup
devoted to her writing. Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose,
The Lark and the Wren, and The Shadow of the Lion (with Eric
Flint and Dave Freer). She lives in Oklahoma.
Roberta Gellis is author of over 25 novels in different fields.
New York Times best-selling author John Jakes has called her “a
superb storyteller of extraordinary talent,” Publishers Weekly has
termed her “a master of the medieval historical,” and Romantic Times has
praised her as “a master spinner of tales.” Her many awards include: The
Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review
of Books and the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur.
From Romantic Times she has received both the Award for Best Novel in the
Medieval Period and also the Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical
Fantasy. And the Romance Writers of America have presented her with their
Lifetime Achievement Award. Her previous fantasy titles for Baen are
Bull God and Thrice Bound.
Cover painting by Larry Dixon
Cover design by Carol Russo Design
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Hardcover
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and
events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real
people or incidents is purely coincidental.
First hardcover printing, February 2004
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Printed in the United States of America
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ISBN: 0-74347-1563
Copyright 2004 by Mercedes Lackey & Roberta Gellis
All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com
Production by Windhaven Press Auburn, NH
Electronic version by WebWrights
http://www.webwrights.com
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