Emperor Mage. Tamora Pierce

      

      

       Copyright

      HarperVoyager

      An imprint ofHarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

      Copyright © Tamora Pierce 1995

      Map copyright © Isidre Mones 2017

      Jacket design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

      Tamora Pierce asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

      A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

      This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

      Source ISBN: 9780008304133

      Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008304140

      Version: 2018-09-12

       PRAISE FOR TAMORA PIERCE

      ‘Tamora Pierce didn’t just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swathe through the fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Pierce is the real lioness, and we’re all just running to keep pace.’

      LEIGH BARDUGO, #1 New York Times bestselling author

      ‘Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers and continues to inspire us.’

      HOLLY BLACK, #1 New York Times bestselling author

      ‘Tamora Pierce’s books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a young woman. Her complex, unforgettable heroines and vibrant, intricate worlds blazed a trail for young adult fantasy – and I get to write what I love today because of the path she forged throughout her career. She is a pillar, an icon, and an inspiration.’

      SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author

      ‘I take more comfort from and as great pleasure in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall novels as I do from Game of Thrones.’

       Washington Post

      ‘Tamora Pierce and her brilliant heroines didn’t just break down barriers; they smashed them with magical fire.’

      KATHERINE ARDEN, author of The Bear and the Nightingale

       Dedication

       To those who took a struggling young writer, cushioned her in her early months in the Big Apple, and agreed that no idea was too crazy:

       Ellen Harris-Brooker

       P. J. Snyder

       Craig Tenney

       and

       Robert Wehe

       How could I forget?

       I couldn’t have done it

       without you!

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

      Copyright

      Praise for Tamora Pierce

      Dedication

      Map

Chapter 1: Guests in Carthak

Chapter 2: Imperial Welcome

Chapter 3: Hall of Bones

       Chapter 4: Strange Conversations

       Chapter 5: Palace Tour

       Chapter 6: Carthaki Magecraft

       Chapter 7: Waking Dreams

       Chapter 8: The Badger Returns

       Chapter 9: Daine Loses Her Temper

       Chapter 10: Steel Feather

       Epilogue

       Afterword

       Acknowledgements

       Read on for a preview of The Realms of the Gods: Book Four of the Immortals Quartet

       Also by Tamora Pierce

       About the Publisher

       Map

       CHAPTER 1

       GUESTS IN CARTHAK

      His Royal Highness Kaddar, prince of Siraj, duke of Yamut,