Wrayth
Authors: Philippa Ballantine
Praise for the Book of the Order novels
SPECTYR
“Picks up smoothly from [
Geist
], continuing the fantasy adventure with a mix of romance and power play by the world’s deities…Will appeal to the paranormal romance and steampunk crowds.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“
Spectyr
keeps up the series’ promise: well-crafted, tightly packed action…should satisfy even die-hard fantasy fans.”
—
Drying Ink
“[A] unique, character-driven fantasy that delivers on all levels.”
—
Smexy Books
GEIST
“With its richly detailed world and wonderfully realized characters,
Geist
is one of the most vividly original books I’ve read this year.”
—Nalini Singh,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Archangel’s Storm
“Absorbing adventure that revels in both the creepy and the courageous.”
—Gail Carriger,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Timeless
“An incredibly rich story…rich in high action, rich in mystery, rich in characters, rich in ghosts. Absolutely not to be missed.”
—Barb Hendee, national bestselling coauthor of
Between Their Worlds
“Part of the entertainment of this novel is putting the pieces together to get a picture of the complicated political situation, the period (they have magical airships!) and the nature of the geists…Plenty of magic-blasting action keeps things lively for a rousing start to this new series.”
—
Locus
“In the tradition of greats like Margaret Weis and Robin Hobb, Philippa Ballantine has woven an excellent tale of fantasy, paranormal, black powder, steampunk goodness.”
—
Geek Life
Ace Books by Philippa Ballantine
GEIST
SPECTYR
WRAYTH
WRAYTH
P
HILIPPA
B
ALLANTINE
ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
WRAYTH
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Ace mass-market edition / September 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Philippa Ballantine.
Cover art by Jason Chan.
Cover design by Lesley Worrell.
Interior text design by Tiffany Estreicher.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of
copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-58951-9
ACE
Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the
author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
To all the librarians in my life.
You opened up a world of knowledge
and adventure in my mind
that helped bring these stories to fruition.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks are always necessary when a book is finally birthed, because no author is an island, and no story is written in a vacuum. To Danielle Stockley for helping to shape Arkaym and keep Sorcha under control. To my agent, Laurie McLean, who held my hand as I ventured out into the publishing world. To Jason Chan, who has always brought my thoughts to life with his amazing covers. To all my kind, generous and supportive podcast listeners—these books wouldn’t have happened without your backing. To my wonderful, talented husband, my captain who helped me set out on this adventure, and keeps me paddling. Finally, to my daughter, who might find writing “boring” but hopefully will enjoy these books when she’s older.
Six: Unholy and Unhappy Choices
Eleven: Bargaining with a Coyote
Thirteen: Dropping from the Clouds
Eighteen: Strife in the Family
Nineteen: Loyalty and Challenge
Twenty-One: Old Friends and Industry
Twenty-Two: Things Never Foreseen
Twenty-Three: Between the Jaws
Twenty-Five: An Unholy Enterprise
Twenty-Six: Alliance and Victory
Twenty-Seven: Scattered Remains
ONE
Taken in ShadowIn the time when the earth bucked and heaved, many secrets were revealed—some were for good; some were most definitely for ill.
As Caoirse followed her partner into the darkness, she could only wish that the situation they were walking into was the former. It had already been a long day for both her and Klanasta. Against the moonlight he was only a gray shadow on a horse before her, but they shared much more than moonlight. In her mind, her Active burned like a warm ember—something to hold on to, something to put all her trust in when surrounded by a perilous world. It was the real joy of being a Deacon: never being alone. It couldn’t make up for the dangers of hunting geists, but it came awfully close.
She tucked damp curls of her reddish hair away from her face, pulled her green cloak tighter and shivered. Her mount, Tilin, was a Breed horse, and a fine creature to ride, but she’d been in the saddle going on three days now. It was enough to make anyone tense, so Caoirse kneed him up to walk alongside Klanasta’s horse.
“How much farther?” she asked with a sigh.
Klanasta’s long nose was the only real detail she could make out in this dark and fog. “The tunnel isn’t far away, and Goine and Leontis should have a nice stew waiting for us.”
Since they were two young lads just out of the novitiate, Caoirse had severe doubts about their abilities with a pot, but she stayed silent on the matter. Instead she opened her Center and spread it out all around them, looking for their compatriots.
Caoirse frowned. Everything was laid before her: the snake sleeping in its underground lair, a vulture with his head tucked beneath his wing and a vixen snuffling her way through the undergrowth.
She didn’t need to tell Klanasta what was missing; they shared the Bond and her Sight.
“No Deacons,” he whispered. The Active Deacon’s hands instantly sought out the Gauntlets he kept tucked in his belt. When he slipped them on, Caoirse felt better. Her partner was no wet-behind-the-ears novice. If there was a geist waiting for them, then it was the undead that should fear, not them.
She did her part too. As the Sensitive Deacon in the pair, she probed deeper into the mist and swamp with greater focus. All she uncovered were more hungry predators and frightened prey. No geists and no Deacons.