And Tomas Betillon, Governor of Hebusalim, looked no better pleased: his smile was sour, his praise muted. The great General Kaltus Korion clearly had his pleasure in anticipating new super-beasts for his armies tempered by seeing anotherвЂ™s stock rise so dramatically. Imperial Treasurer Calan Dubrayle, whoвЂ™d sponsored Vult in bringing in Naxius, had the most reason to bask in the reflected glory. 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. He might be an emperor, and in his mid-twenties, but few would deny вЂ“ in private at least вЂ“ that Constant had the demeanour of a spoilt squire. The matronly former Empress вЂ“ now a Living Saint вЂ“ 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. Vult graciously accepted an appreciative nod from Mater-Imperia Lucia. What else have you got up your sleeve, Bel? Gyle found his own hands applauding, his mouth spouting praise as if for a tourney victor, but his mind was reeling.Д«eside him, Belonius Vult, his fellow conspirator, looked triumphant вЂ“ as well he might: after all, this was his part of the plan for the conquest of Antiopia.

The old mage was cackling like a drunken grandfather in a Low Street tavern at the acclaim currently being heaped upon him. His eyes moved from the bird to the man whoвЂ™d just demonstrated this horror: the Souldrinker or вЂDokkenвЂ™ introduced as Delta, named for the Lantric brand on his forehead вЂ“ though Delta appeared to be more pawn than perpetrator: it was the DokkenвЂ™s master, Ervyn Naxius, whoвЂ™d truly done this. IвЂ™ve just seen a Souldrinker perform a soul-stealing, and in the emperorвЂ™s own Inner Council Chamber! I must always remember this momentВ . 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. 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 вЂ“ in this case, the taking of a human soul and placing it into the body of a beast. Gurvon Gyle pressed back into his chair, distancing himself from what heвЂ™d just seen. O RDO C OSTRUO A RCANUM, P ONTUS, 877ДЄ frightened falcon perched on the chandelier above and shrieked at the corpse in the middle of the Inner Council room. They, more than the Bridge itself, point the way forward for the next developments in the craft of magic. The SunвЂ™s energy is harvested by giant clusters of special fused crystals in the domes of five great towers. 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 Vexations of Emperor Constant (Part Four) As adoptive children, our siblings could have been anyone вЂ“ IвЂ™m glad, Robyn, that mine is you. Under the wings of our adoptive parentsвЂ™ inspirational partnership, weвЂ™ve shared all that вЂnaturalвЂ™ siblings share, by which I mean weвЂ™ve at various stages played and argued, competed and collaborated, hugged and harangued, fought and made up. The deliverer wasnвЂ™t a stork but a Te Puke doctor вЂ“ itвЂ™s never been a secret to either of us that we were adopted, and it has never been a cause for drama or trauma. Robyn was delivered to my parentвЂ™s door in September 1966, just over a year after they took possession of me. 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. Names, characters,Д«usinesses, organizations, places and events areД®ither the product of the authorвЂ™s imaginationДЄctual persons, living or dead, events or

Without permission in writing from the publisher.ДЄ CIP catalogue record for this book is available Information storage and retrieval system, Or by any means, electronic or mechanical, May be reproduced or transmitted in any form Identified as the author of this work has beenДЄsserted in accordance with the Copyright,ДЄll rights reserved. First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Jo Fletcher Books

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