Raymond E. Feist - Serpentwar Saga 3 - Rage of a Demon King

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Mistress of the Empire. Feist lives with his wife,

novelist Kathlyn Starbuck, and two children, in

Rancho Santa Fe, California.

ALSO BY RAYMOND E. FEIST

Magician

silverthorn

A Darkness at Sethanon

Faerie Tale

Prince of the Blood

The King's Buccaneer

Shadow of a Dark Queen

Rise of a Merchant Prince

WITH JANNY WURTS:

Daughter of the Empire

Servant of the Empire

mistress of the Empire

FVo y-a g-e-rl

MOND E. FEIST

Rage of a Demon King

Volume IH of the Serpentwar Saga

HarperCollinsPuNishers

This paperback edition 1998

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

First published in Great Britain by voyager 1997

The Author asserts the moral right to

be identified as the author of this work

ISBN 0 00 648298 8

Set in PostScript Meridien by

Rowland Phototypesetting Ltd,

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Printed and bound in Great Britain by

Caledonian International Book Manufacturing Ltd, Glasgow

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 the publishers.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,

by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or

otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent

in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it

is published and without a similar condition including this

condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

For Stephen A. Abrams,

right direction and being the world s most indefatigable

cheerleader; Liz Perle McKenna, for taking time from a

very busy schedule to keep a perplexed author informed;

and John Douglass, for some timely hand-holding. All

were my editors for a while during that chaos.

To Jenifer Brehl, my editor, for hitting the ground

running and not missing a step.

To everyone else at Hearst Books/Avon, for getting

behind the series.

To Jonathan Matson, for all the usual reasons.

To my children, Jessica and James, for showing me

magic every day.

And to my wife, Kathlyn Starbuck, for more reasons

than I could ever list here.

Raymond E. Feist

Rancho Santa Fe, CA

June 1996

Character List

Acaila - leader of the eldar. in the Elf Queen's court

Aglaranna - Elf Queen in Elvandar, wife of Tomas,

mother of Calin and Calis

Akee - Hadati hillman

Alfred - Corporal from Darkmoor

Andrew - priest of Ban-Ath in Krondor

Anthony - magician at Crydee

Avery, Abigail - daughter of Roo and Karli

Avery, Duncan - cousin to Roo

Avery, Helmut - son to Roo and Karli

Avery, Karli - wife of Roo, mother of Abigail and Helmut

d ]Lyes, Robert magician from Stardock

de Beswick - Captain in King's Army

de Savona, Luis - former soldier, assistant to Roo

Dolgan - King of the dwarves of the west

Dominic - Abbot of Ishapian Abbey at Sarth

Dubois, Henri - poisoner from Bas-Tyra

Duga - mercenary Captain from Novindus

Duko - General in the Emerald Queen's Army

Dunstan, Brian - the Sagacious Man, leader of the Mockers,

used to be known as Lysle Rigger

Erland - brother to the King and Prince Nicholas, uncle

to Prince Patrick

Esterbrook, Jacob - wealthy merchant of Krondor,

father of Sylvia

Esterbrook, Sylvia - Jacob's daughter

Fadawah - General commanding the Emerald Queen's

Army .

Freida - Erik's mother, wife of Nathan

Galain - elf in Elvandar

Gamina - adopted daughter of Pug and sister of William,

wife of James, mother of Arutha

Garret - Corporal in Erik's Company

Graves, Katherine Kitty - girl thief in Krondor

Greylock, Owen - Captain in Prince's service, later

General

Gunther - Nathan's apprentice

Hammond - Lieutenant in King's Army

H,anam - Loremaster of the Saaur

Harper - Sergeant in Erik's Company

Jacoby, Helen - widow of Randolph Jacoby, mother of

Nataly and Willem

James - Duke of Krondor, father to Arutha, grandfather

to James and Dash

Jameson, Arutha - Lord Vencar, Baron of the Prince's

milo owner of the Inn of the Pintail in Ravensburg,

father of Rosalyn

Miranda - magician and ally of Calis and Pug

Nakor the Isalani ~ gambler, magic user, friend of Calis

and Pug

Nathan - blacksmith at the Inn of the Pintail in Ravensburg,

former master of Erik, married to Freida

Nicholas - Admiral of the Western Fleet, Prince of the

Royal Family, uncle to Prince Patrick

Patrick - Prince of Krondor, son of Prince Erland, nephew

to the King and Prince Nicholas

Pug - magician, Duke of Stardock, cousin to the King,

father to Gamina and William

Reeves - Captain of Royal Dragon

Rosalyn - Milo's daughter, wife of Rudolph, mother of

Gerd

Rudolph - baker in Ravensburg, husband of Rosalyn,

stepfather to Gerd

Shati, Jadow - Sergeant in Erik's Company

Sho Pi - former companion of Erik and Roo's, student of

Nakor's

Subal - Captain of the Royal Krondorian Pathfinders

Tlthulta - Pantathian high Priest

Tomas - Warleader of Elvandar, husband of Aglaranna,

father of Calis, inheritor of the powers of Ashen-Shugar

Vasarlus - Quengan noble and merchant

von Darkmoor, Erik - soldier in Calis's Crimson Eagles

von Darkmoor, Gerd - son of Rosalyn and Stefan von

Darkmoor, nephew to Erik

von Darkmoor, Manfred - Baron of Darkmoor, half brother

to Erik

von Darkmoor, Mathilda - Baroness of Darkmoor,

mother to Manfred

And sitting by desolate streams;World

losers and world-forsakers,

On whom the pale moon gleams:

We are the movers and shakers

Of the world for ever, it seems.

Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy

Ode, st. 1

PROLOGUE

Breakthrough

The wall shimmered.

In what had once been the throne room of Jarwa, last

Sha-shahan of the Seven Nations of the Saaur, the thirty-foot-

high wall of stones opposite the empty seat of power

seemed to waver, then vanish as a black void appeared.

Nightmare creatures gathered. things of terrible fangs and

~nous claws. Some wore the faces of dead animals,

while others were humanlike in aspect. Some bore proud

wings, antlers, or bull's horns. All were beings of massive

muscle and evil intent, dark magic and murderous, nature.

Yet all in the hall remained motionless, terrified of that

which was appearing on the other side of the newly created

gateway. Demons who stood as tall as trees crouched low

eying not to be seen.

Immense energy was required to open a gate, and for

years the demons had been thwarted by the accursed

priests of the distant city of Ahsart. Only when the mad

4 RAYMOND E. FEIST

another. But internecine conflict was put aside among the

elite of the host as a new gate from the Fifth Circle to Shila

was completed, opening the way for the supreme ruler of

the demon realm to communicate.

The demon without a name stood at the edge of those

summoned to "s once-grand hall. He peeked out from

behind a stone column, lest he call attention to himself.

He had captured a unique soul and had been harboring it,

using it, becoming cunning and dangerous. For unlike

most of his brethren, he had discovered guile worked better

than confrontation in gaining valuable life force and intelligence.

He still showed the proper mix of fear and danger

to those directly above him, enough fear so they judged

him under their sway, yet dangerous enough for them to

avoid attempting to consume him. It was a perilous pose,

and had he made one misstep, calling attention to his

uniqueness, those captains nearby would have destroyed

him utterly, for his mind was turning alien and was now

self -aware enough to be a threat to all of them.

This demon knew he could easily defeat at least four of

the demons who presumed superiority and stood before

him, but to rise too quickly among the host was to call

unwanted attention to oneself. He had, during his short

life, seen no fewer than a half-dozen others rise too

quickly, only to be destroyed by one of the great captains,

either against that day they might themselves be challenged,

or to protect a favored servant.

Mightiest of these captains was Tugor, First Servant of

Great Maarg, who was now making his will known. Tugor

fell to his knees, placing his forehead to the floor, and

A great rush of energies bathed the room as the shimmering

wall seemed to ripple outward, then vanish as a

gate to the home realm opened. A wind filled the chamber,

from air sucked through the gap between worlds, as if

everything in this hall were being urged to return to its

home realm. By their nature, demons instinctively felt an

awareness of those far mightier than themselves, and being

close to Tugor caused the nameless demon to nearly faint

in terror. But the presence that emanated through the

rent in the fabric of space nearly reduced him to babbling

incoherence.

All those present stayed on their knees, keeping foreheads

to the stones, save the nameless demon still hidden

behind the column. He watched as Tugor stood to face the

void. From within the gap in the wall came a voice that

was filled with the echoes of rage and dread. 'Have you

found the way?'

Tugor said, 'We have, most mighty! We have sent two

of our captains through the rift to Midkemia.'

'What do they report?'demanded the voice from beyond,

and in it the nameless demon detected a note of something

besides anger and power, a hint of desperation, perhaps.

'Dogku and Jakan do not report,' responded Tugor. 'We

know nothing. We believe they are unable to hold the

portal.'

'Then send another.' ordered Maarg, Ruler of the Fifth

Circle. 'I will not cross until that way is clear; you've left

nothing upon this world that I may consume. Next time I

open the way, I will cross, and if there is naught for me

to devour. I will eat your heart, Tugor!' The sound of air

being sucked from the room ceased as the rift between

good time to draw the attention of the second most

powerful among their race. Tugor had been known to snap

the heads from the shoulders of those who appeared to

be growing too powerful so that no rival would appear

who might contest his position. It was even rumored

that Tugor harbored his strength against the day when

he might challenge Maarg for supremacy among the

race.

Tugor turned and said, 'Who goes next?'

Without quite knowing why, the nameless demon rose

and came forward. 'I will go, lord.'

Tugor's visage, a horse skull with great horns, was nearly

expressionless, but what expression it was capable of

reflected puzzlement. 'Who are you, little fool?'

'I have no name yet Master,' said the nameless one.

Tugor took two large strides, pushing aside several of

his captains, to stand towering over the small demon. 'I

have sent captains, who have failed to return. Why should

you succeed where they did not?'

'Because I am meek and will hide and observe, Master,'

the nameless one said quietly. 'I will gather intelligence,

and I will hide, harboring my strength, until I can reopen

the portal from the other side.'

Tugor paused a moment, as if considering, then drew

back his hand and struck the smaller demon driving him

across the room into the wall. The demon had small wings,

not yet sufficient to fly with, and they felt as if they had

been broken by the impact of the stone wall.

'That is for being presumptuous,' said Tugor, his rage

just below the killing level.

'I shall send you,' he said to his next more powerful

captain. Then he spun and grabbed another, ripping.out

the hapless demon's throat as he screamed, 'And this is

husk of flesh.

'Go, said Tugor to the captain. 'The rift is in the distant

hills, to the cast. Those who guard it will tell you what

you must know to return ... if you are able. Return, and

I will reward you.'

The captain hurried from the hall. The small demon

hesitated, then followed, ignoring the fiery pain in his back.

with food and rest, the wings would heal. As he left the

palace he was challenged twice by other demons driven by

hunger. He quickly killed them. Drinking their fife energies

caused the pain in his wings to fade, and as before, new

thoughts and ideas manifested themselves. He suddenly

]mew why he was following the captain sent to reopen

the rift.

The voice that had once come from the vial he wore

around his neck, but that was now inside his head, said,

'We shall endure, then thrive, then we shall do what must

be done.'

The little demon hurried to the rift site, the location of

the fissure between worlds where the last of the Saaur

horde had fled. The little demon had learned things and

knew that somehow an ally had betrayed the demons, that

this gate was to have remained open, but instead had been

closed. Twice it had been forced open, but closed again

quickly, for those on the other side used counterspells to

keep the portal sealed. At least a dozen powerful demons

had died at Tugor's hands because of the host's inability

to cross.

The captain reached the portal site as a dozen other

demons surrounded him. Unnoticed, the little demon followed

the larger as if accompanying him.

The rift site was unremarkable, a large patch of muddy

earth, the grass crushed by the passing of thousands of

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MistressoftheEmpire.Feistliveswithhiswife,novelistKathlynStarbuck,andtwochildren,inRanchoSantaFe,California.ALSOBYRAYMONDE.FEISTMagiciansilverthornADarknessatSethanonFaerieTalePrinceoftheBloodTheKing'sBuccaneerShadowofaDarkQueenRiseofaMerchantPrinceWITHJANNYWURTS:DaughteroftheEmpireServantoftheEmpir...

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