The Long War 03 - The Red Prince
Page 51
Between the desert plains of Karesia and the icy wastes of Ranen, there once lay the kingdom of Ro. Its men and women worshipped the One and he was much pleased with them. His armies were strong. His lands were fertile. And his people prospered and grew… complacent.
Their enemies saw they were unwatchful. And the armies of the south fell upon the land like rain. And their sorcerers remade the kingdom in fire and blood in readiness for the rise of a new god; a nation of slaves awaiting sacrifice.
Such a fate it was that befell Haran, bounded by sea and stone, the mightiest stronghold of the west. Now, Alexander Tiris, the Red Prince, can only brood upon the downfall of his people, cut off from his own city by the mercenary army of the Seven Sisters.
Until the arrival of the one man who can wield the sisters’ power against them…
ALL THAT WAS DEAD WILL RISE .
ALL THAT NOW LIVES WILL FALL…
REVIEWS
‘Sieges, catapults, battles, longswords, beheadings a-plenty, profanity and bloody mayhem. Brilliant.’
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‘Interesting, enticing, thrusts you towards the next instalment.’
SFX
‘Martin meets Lovecraft.”
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ABOUT A.J. SMITH
A. J. SMITH has been devising the worlds, histories and characters of the Long War chronicles for more than a decade. He was born in Birmingham and works in secondary education. @Smith23AJ
ABOUT THE CHRONICLES OF THE LONG WAR
THE CHRONICLES OF THE LONG WAR
In the long ages of deep time, uncountable millennia before the rise of men, there lived a race of Giants.
Continents shifted and mountains rose and fell as the Giants fought the Long War for the right to possess the lands of their birth. The greatest Giants, mortal beings of huge size and power, lived long enough, fought hard enough and gained enough wisdom to become gods.
Rowanoco, the Ice Giant, claimed the cold northern lands and was worshipped by the men of Ranen. Jaa, the Fire Giant, ruled the burning desert sands to the south and chose the men of Karesia as his followers. The Stone Giant, known only as the One, held dominion over the lush plains and towering mountains of Tor Funweir, and his followers, the men of Ro, believed they had the right to rule all the lands of men. Other Giants there were also, though their names and their followers are thought lost, and their empires buried, as victims of the Long War.
The Giants have long since left these lands to the humans, but their followers still worship them, invoke their names daily and aggressively maintain their laws. The Giants themselves sit beyond the perception of humans in their halls beyond the world while their most trusted followers fight the Long War in their stead.
I – THE BLACK GUARD
The city of Ro Canarn burns. By royal decree, its noble line is named Black Guard, and struck from past and future histories throughout the lands of Ro.
For the Red Army is on the march. Those who oppose its advance risk the bloody fate of house Canarn, and strange accidents befall those who dare question the King’s new advisors – the Seven Sisters. And called from the long ages of deep time, the children of a dead god are waking with a pitiless cry—
ALL THAT WAS DEAD WILL RISE
ALL THAT NOW LIVES WILL FALL...
The Black Guard is available here.
II – THE DARK BLOOD
In the court of every city in the lands of Ro, an enchantress sits.
And in the minds of that city, each enchantress weaves a song. She sings of the liberation of the land; the taming of the highland tribes; the birth of a precious new race; the world united under a single creed.
Yet none sing of the murder of the young Prince Christophe; of the rebellion of Canarn; of blighted gods stirring from their endless slumber; nor the lonely quest of a father to avenge the children that were stolen from him.
But every song, as every life, must come to an end…
ALL THAT WAS DEAD WILL RISE.
ALL THAT NOW LIVES WILL FALL...
The Dark Blood is available here.
III – THE RED PRINCE
Between the desert plains of Karesia and the icy wastes of Ranen, there once lay the kingdom of Ro. Its men and women worshipped the One and he was much pleased with them. His armies were strong. His lands were fertile. And his people prospered and grew… complacent.
Their enemies saw they were unwatchful. And the armies of the south fell upon the land like rain. And their sorcerers remade the kingdom in fire and blood in readiness for the rise of a new god; a nation of slaves awaiting sacrifice.
Such a fate it was that befell Haran, bounded by sea and stone, the mightiest stronghold of the west. Now, Alexander Tiris, the Red Prince, can only brood upon the downfall of his people, cut off from his own city by the mercenary army of the Seven Sisters.
Until the arrival of the one man who can wield the sisters’ power against them…
ALL THAT WAS DEAD WILL RISE.
ALL THAT NOW LIVES WILL FALL...
The fourth Chronicle of the Long War, The World Raven, will be published in Summer 2016
A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
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The story starts here.
First published in the UK in 2015 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © A. J. Smith, 2015
Jacket Design © Nik Keevil
The moral right of A. J. Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (eBook) 9781784080853
ISBN (HB) 9781784080860
ISBN (XTPB) 9781784080877
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Table of Contents
Welcome Page
Display Options Notice
Dedication
Contents
Maps
Book 1: The Red Prince
The Tale of the Old Bloods
Prologue
Part 1
Chapter 1: Randall of Darkwald in the Town of Kabrin
Chapter 2: Kale Glenwood in the Duchy of Haran
Chapter 3: Tyr Nanon in the Fell
Chapter 4: Fallon of Leith in the City of South Warden
Chapter 5: Bronwyn of Canarn in the Moon Woods
Part 2
Chapter 6: Halla Summer Wolf in the City of Jarvik
Chapter 7: Gwendolyn of Hunter's Cross in the Duchy of Haran
Chapter 8: Randall of Darkwald in the City of Kessia
Chapter 9: Dalian Thief Taker in the City of Ro Weir
Chapter 10: Lord Bromvy Black Guard in the City of Canarn
Chapter 11: Kale Glenwood in the City of Ro Weir
Epilogue
Book 2: The Grey Knight
The Tale of Jaa
P
rologue
Part 1
Chapter 1: Fallon the Grey in the Realm of Scarlet
Chapter 2: Bronwyn of Canarn in the Moon Woods
Chapter 3: Halla Summer Wolf at the Bear's Mouth
Chapter 4: Gwendolyn of Hunter's Cross in the City of Ro Tiris
Chapter 5: Randall of Darkwald in the City of Thrakka
Chapter 6: Fynius Black Claw in the City of South Warden
Part 2
Chapter 7: Fallon the Grey in the Realm of Scarlet
Chapter 8: Tyr Nanon in the City of Ro Weir
Chapter 9: Bronwyn of Canarn in the Realm of Scarlet
Chapter 10: Saara the Mistress of Pain in the City of Ro Weir
Chapter 11: Gwendolyn of Hunter's Cross in the Merchant Enclave of Cozz
Chapter 12: Utha the Ghost in the City of Thrakka
Epilogue
Bestiary
Character Listing
Acknowledgements
About The Red Prince
Reviews
About A.J. Smith
About the Chronicles of the Long War
An Invitation from the Publisher
Copyright