Imager's Challenge

Imager’s
Challenge

Tor Books by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

The Imager Portfolio

Imager

Imager’s Challenge

The Corean Chronicles

Legacies

Darknesses

Scepters

Alector’s Choice

Cadmian’s Choice

Soarer’s Choice

The Lord-Protector’s Daughter

The Saga of Recluce

The Magic of Recluce

The Towers of the Sunset

The Magic Engineer

The Order War

The Death of Chaos

Scion of Cyador

Fall of Angels

The Chaos Balance

The White Order

Colors of Chaos

Magi’i of Cyador

Wellspring of Chaos

Ordermaster

Natural Ordermage

Mage-Guard of Hamor

Arms-Commander
(forthcoming)

The Spellsong Cycle

The Soprano Sorceress

The Spellsong War

Darksong Rising

The Shadow Sorceress

Shadowsinger

The Ecolitan Matter

Empire & Ecolitan

(comprising
The Ecolitan Operation
and
The Ecologic Secession
)

Ecolitan Prime

(comprising
The Ecologic Envoy
and
The Ecolitan Enigma
)

The Forever Hero

(comprising
Dawn for a Distant
Earth, The Silent Warrior,
and
In Endless Twilight
)

Timegod’s World

(comprising
Timediver’s Dawn
and
The Timegod
)

The Ghost Books

Of Tangible Ghosts

The Ghost of the Revelator

Ghost of the White Nights

Ghost of Columbia

(comprising
Of Tangible Ghosts
and
The Ghost of the Revelator
)

The Hammer of Darkness

The Green Progression

The Parafaith War

Adiamante

Gravity Dreams

Octagonal Raven

Archform: Beauty

The Ethos Effect

Flash

The Eternity Artifact

The Elysium Commission

Viewpoints Critical

Haze

Imager’s
Challenge

The Second Book of the
Imager Portfolio

L. E. M
ODESITT
, J
R
.

A T
OM
D
OHERTY
A
SSOCIATES
B
OOK
NEW YORK

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.

IMAGER’S CHALLENGE: THE SECOND BOOK OF THE IMAGER PORTFOLIO

Copyright © 2009 by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

All rights reserved.

Map by Jackie Aher

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.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Modesitt, L. E.

Imager’s challenge : the second book of the Imager portfolio /
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

    p. cm. — (Imager portfolio ; 2)

“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”

ISBN 978-0-7653-2126-8

I. Title.

PS3563.O264I44 2009

813'.54—dc22

2009019454

First Edition: October 2009

Printed in the United States of America

0  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

For David and Carol Ann Nyman

CHARACTERS

CIVIC PATROL

HIGH HOLDERS

Ryel D’Alte

Irenya D’Ryel [Wife]

Johanyr D’Imager [Disinherited Son]

Dulyk D’Ryel [Son and Heir]

Iryela D’Ryel [Daughter]

Alynat D’Ryel [Nephew]

Suyrien D’Alte [Chief Councilor]

Kandryl D’Suyrien-Alte [Younger son]

IMAGERS