Read The Ninth Talisman Online
Authors: Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Ninth Talisman
THE
NINTH
TALISMAN
Volume Two of
THE ANNALS OF THE CHOSEN
Â
“Waft-Evans always delivers a good story.”
SCIENCE FICTION CHRONICLE
Â
A
LL THE WORLD
is kept in a delicate balance under the supervision of the Wizard Lord. It is his duty to govern lightly and protect his domain . . . but if he should stray from the way of the just, then it is up to the Chosen to intercede.
The Chosen are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker. They are magically infused mortal individuals who for the term of their service have only one functionâto remove an errant Wizard Lord.
The Chosen fulfilled this role when they removed the insane and tyrannical former Wizard Lord and exposed treachery within their own ranks.
Since their last adventure, the world has returned to apparent peace and prosperity. The newly chosen Wizard Lord appears to be loved by all. He rules benevolently . . . but with an eye toward modernization through technology instead of magic.
Do such plans jeopardize the delicate balance of power?
Is a Wizard Lord who is able to rule without magic a threat to the Chosen?
Breaker, the Swordsman, hopes for the best but fears that the Chosen must intervene . . . before it is too late.
THE
NINTH
TALISMAN
Â
Â
Â
TOR BOOKS BY LAWRENCE WATT-EVANS
Â
Â
THE OBSIDIAN CHRONICLES
Dragon Weather
The Dragon Society
Dragon Venom
Â
Â
LEGENDS OF ETHSHAR
Night of Madness
Ithanalin's Restoration
Â
Touched by the Gods
Split Heirs
(with Esther Friesner)
Â
THE ANNALS OF THE CHOSEN
The Wizard Lord
The Ninth Talisman
TALISMAN
VOLUME TWO OF THE
ANNALS OF THE CHOSEN
LAWRENCE WATT-EVANS
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
New York
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.
THE NINTH TALISMAN: VOLUME TWO OF THE ANNALS OF THE CHOSEN
Copyright © 2007 by Lawrence Watt-Evans
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1027-9
ISBN-10: 0-7653-1027-9
First Edition: May 2007
Printed in the United States of America
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Â
Â
Dedicated to Susan Carscadden,
for all the help she's given my family through the years
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to Brian Thomsen, Russell Galen, Kristin Sevick, Deborah Wood, and Terry McGarry for making this series better than it might otherwise have been, and again, my thanks to Timothy S. O'Brien for essential aid in world-building.
(as sung by the soldiers of Winterhome)
When day turned dark and shadows fell
Across the broken lands
And madness turned to taloned claws Our ancient ruler's hands
Then eight were called by whims of fate
To save us from our doom;
The Chosen came to guard us all
And lay evil in its tomb
Â
[chorus]
If a Wizard Lord should turn
Against the common man
These Chosen eight would bring him down,
Bring peace to Barokan!Â
The Leader shows his bold resolve
Confronting every foe
His words would guide the Chosen as
He told them how to go
Â
The Seer sought the comrades out
And gathered them to fight
Nor could their foeman hide from her;
She has the second sight
Â
[chorus]
Â
The Swordsman's blade is swift and sure
His skill is unsurpassed
If any stood against him, then
That stand would be his last
Â
A lovely face the Beauty has,
And shapely legs and arms
She distracted evil men
And lured them with her charms
Â
[chorus]
Â
There is no lock nor guarded door
That can stop the Thief
He penetrates the fortress dark
To bring the land relief
Â
Every song and story told,
The Scholar knows them all
He knew the wizard's weaknesses
To hasten evil's fall
Â
[chorus]
Â
The Archer's missiles never miss;
His arrows find their mark
He struck at evil from afar
To drive away the dark
Â
The Speaker harks to every tongue,
Of stone and beast and man
She found the Dark Lord's secrets out
So no defense could stand
Â
[chorus]
Â
When in the Galbek Hills there was
A monster come in human shape
The Swordsman struck the evil down
To save the land from magic rape
Â
And thus the last of evil's spawn
Was driven out of Barokan
Never more will madness come
To trouble Barokan
Â
No new Wizard Lord will turn
Against the common man
These Chosen eight shall keep him wise,
Bring peace to Barokanâ
Yes, the Chosen guard us all,
Bring peace to Barokan!
THE
NINTH
TALISMAN
His true name began Erren Zal Tuyo kam Darig seveth Tirinsir abek Du, but the people of Mad Oak, in Longvale, did not use true names, for fear of the power they granted. He had grown up with the nickname Breaker, but after he took on the role of the Chosen Swordsman even his family and closest friends came, in time, to call him Sword. He was a big manâ”Breaker” had reflected not his temperament, but his awkwardness before his coordination caught up with his growthâbut now that he had reached his full height and become comfortable with his size, he moved with speed, grace, and assurance.
Some of that grace doubtlessly came from his magic, of course. The
ler
of muscle and steel had made him the world's greatest swordsman as part of the complicated pact that gave the Wizard Lord authority over all Barokan, and that gave the eight Chosen the right to remove the Wizard Lord, by any means necessary, should he violate the limits set upon his power.
He had played his role as Swordsman, and had slain the Dark Lord of the Galbek Hills, a Wizard Lord gone mad. He had played his part, and then he had returned home to Mad Oak.