Book Read Free

Kingmaker (The Dragon Corsairs)

Page 58

by Margaret Weis


  Kate walked the halls of Barwich Manor and the ghosts walked with her. They were good spirits, as Akiel had said. The spirit of the little girl who had sailed the world with her father and met a dragon and a man who had told her to fight for her dreams. The spirit of the young woman who had been a pirate and had held a future king at gunpoint. The spirit of the woman who had boldly spoken in defense of her friend at his court-martial.

  The spirit of the woman who had fought for her dreams and seen them come true and would continue to dream. And to fight.

  Thomas came to her and put his arm around her and the two of them left the past to the spirits and walked together into the future.

  Amelia Nettleship would later write a book telling the tale of the four friends, Thomas and Kate, Phillip and Sophia. The book would be immensely successful and bring Amelia the fame and fortune she had known would be hers since her days as a student of Mrs. Ridgeway’s Academy for Young Ladies.

  Amelia’s book ended with the sentence: They lived happily ever after.

  They didn’t, of course. No one ever does. But their joys were numerous, while their sorrows were few and strengthened the bonds of love that held them together.

  And so, after all, who are we to argue with such an eminent journalist as Amelia Nettleship? We will therefore end our book as she ended hers.

  They lived happily ever after.

  AUTHORS’ NOTE

  Alan reminds Henry of Naval Regulations in this quote: “Any captain or other officer, mariner or other, who shall basely desert their duty or station in the ship and run away while the enemy is in fight, or in time of action, or entice others to do so, shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial shall inflict.” (Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies of North America, November 28, 1775.)

  Randolph quotes a naval hero of the American Revolution, John Paul Jones: “It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win.”

  Books by MARGARET WEIS and ROBERT KRAMMES

  DRAGON BRIGADE

  Shadow Raiders

  Storm Riders*

  The Seventh Sigil*

  DRAGON CORSAIRS

  Spymaster*

  Privateer*

  Kingmaker*

  *A TOR BOOK

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  MARGARET WEIS, the internationally bestselling cocreator of Dragonlance and many other popular fantasy series, was born in Missouri and worked as an editor for TSR. She lives in Wisconsin. You can sign up for email updates here.

  ROBERT KRAMMES is a native Ohioan living in Cincinnati and has collaborated with Margaret Weis on the bestselling Dragon Brigade trilogy, the final volume of which was The Seventh Sigil. The world of the Dragon Brigade is continued in the Dragon Corsairs series. You can sign up for email updates here.

  Thank you for buying this

  Tom Doherty Associates ebook.

  To receive special offers, bonus content,

  and info on new releases and other great reads,

  sign up for our newsletters.

  Or visit us online at

  us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup

  For email updates on Margaret Weis, click here.

  For email updates on Robert Krammes, click here.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Maps

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Authors’ Note

  Books by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes

  About the Authors

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

  KINGMAKER

  Copyright © 2019 by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Didier Graffet

  Dragon ornament © 2014 by Jeff Easley

  Map and family tree by Ellisa Mitchell

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

  120 Broadway

  New York, NY 10271

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-8111-8 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4668-7797-9 (ebook)

  eISBN 9781466877979

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: August 2019

 

 

 


‹ Prev