by Jason Denzel
Carry it into the Deep”
The Myst stirred within her, resonating with the rhythm and tone of her new master. The three of them laughed again, and this time the sound rose into the air and danced with her hummingbirds, spreading all across Kelt Apar, where it was heard by everyone from the young and living to the past masters long gone, who live on in the silence of the Deep.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As a filmmaker I learned the valuable lesson of surrounding yourself with talented and positive individuals who help your project succeed. This wisdom proved essential throughout the process of writing this book. It would not exist like it does today had it not been for the knowledge, encouragement, and opportunity offered to me by so many people.
In particular I need to offer special thanks to Jennifer, for her encouragement and support as I set off on this new writing journey. To my boys, Aidan and Andrew. Thank you, guys, for loving your dad and being excited about what I do. Thank you for the games of dodgeball to help me unwind from the long stretches of writing.
To my writing group, whose help was invaluable in the crafting of this novel: Andrew Wilson, DJ Stipe, Cary Vandever, Heidi Craig, Johnna Rehman, George Hahn, Ruby Petargue, Kathy Leland, and Jeremy Nation. And a special, extrabig thank-you to Laura Harvey, the Editor-Among-Us, who combed through this book dozens of times, carefully helping me slay passive voice and build stronger characters. Remember these names, because they will someday be on the covers of many fine novels.
To Brad Kane, my biggest critic and best friend. Thank you for always holding me to the highest possible standards.
To my friend and mentor Brandon Sanderson, for reading an early draft of this novel and for embracing me as more than just a fan and letting me glimpse the innermost workings of his craft.
To my niece Lexy Awalt, for being one of my earliest readers and biggest fans. You can show this to your friends and prove that you weren’t making it all up.
To Trisha Jones, for taking care of Irma and encouraging me always to write.
To my mom and dad, as well as Jim and D’Ann Burns. The stability you’ve offered me during the writing of this book has meant more to me than you know. Thank you.
To Tom Doherty for taking the time to consider this novel and for believing in it right away. To Melissa Frain, my editor, for being a wonderful collaborator, and to my agent, Eddie Schneider, who threw himself into this project and has represented it in the way it deserves.
And, of course, thank you to all my beta readers, who took the time to give me their honest feedback: Tess Burningham, Wendy Brodersen, Jonathan Khoo, Helane Darazi, Robin Allen, Addison DeBolt, Alana Welz, Sean Adams, Charles Bryan, Jason Koelewyn, Meesha Lenee, Blue Cole, Eddie Yin, Rebecca Lovatt, Amy Romanczuk, Diana Trent, Melanie Murray, Steve Godecke, Ross Newberry, Reannon Haight, Bill Jansen, Georgene Jansen, and the amazing, always dependable Gary Singer.
Huuzz-oh!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JASON DENZEL is the founder of Dragonmount.com, the leading online community for Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time saga and the Web’s top destination for franchise-related news, features, and discussion. Dragonmount.com has been featured in USA Today, Wired, and the Los Angeles Times and on CNN and ABC. Denzel lives in Northern California with his two young sons and owns a lot of swords. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Map
Epigraph
1. Springrise
2. The Book of Songs
3. The Mystwood
4. The Lost Chamber
5. Kelt Apar
6. The Candidates
7. The First Trial
8. The Garden
9. The Black Claws
10. Forging Iron
11. The High Mystic
12. Sad Songs
13. The Road to MagDoon
14. Dreams of the Mountain
15. The Summit
16. Blood and Stone
17. The Guardian
18. The Apprentice
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
MYSTIC
Copyright © 2015 by Jason Denzel
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Larry Rostant
Cover design by Peter Lutjen
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Denzel, Jason.
Mystic / Jason Denzel.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7653-8197-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-8568-4 (e-book)
1. Imaginary wars and battles—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3604.E64M97 2015
813'.6—dc23
2015023069
e-ISBN 9781466885684
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: November 2015