The Realms of the Gods. Tamora Pierce

      

      

       Copyright

      HarperVoyager

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2018

      Copyright © Tamora Pierce 1996

      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: 9780008304164

      Ebook Edition © August 2018 ISBN: 9780008304171

      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 Claire Smith and Margaret Turner, who teach me that heroism includes facing sorrows each and every day with courage, humour, and practicality

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

      Copyright

      Praise for Tamora Pierce

      Dedication

      Map

      Prologue

      Chapter 1: Skinners

      Chapter 2: Meetings with Gods

Chapter 3: Dreams

       Chapter 4: Travellers

       Chapter 5: The Bridge

       Chapter 6: Chess Game

       Chapter 7: Falling

       Chapter 8: Dragonlands

       Chapter 9: The Battle of Legann

       Chapter 10: Judgements

       Epilogue

       Afterword

       Acknowledgments

       Read on for a preview of Tempests and Slaughter: Book One of The Numair Chronicles

       Also by Tamora Pierce

       About the Publisher

       Map

       PROLOGUE

      A magical barrier had separated the Realms of the Gods from the Mortal Realms for over four hundred years. While it stood, mortals were safe from the legendary creatures known as immortals, so named because, unless they were slain, they lived forever. Giants, Stormwings, griffins, basilisks, tauroses, Coldfangs, ogres, centaurs, winged horses, unicorns: in time all became the stuff of children’s tales, or the concern of scholars who explored the records of times long gone.

      In the eighth year of the reign of Jonathan and Thayet of Tortall, mages in Carthak found the long-lost spells that were the keys to gates into the Divine Realms. Ozorne, the Carthaki emperor, turned those spells to his own use. His agents opened gates into other kingdoms, freeing immortals to weaken Carthak’s enemies for later conquest. Even those immortals who were peaceful, or indifferent to human affairs, created panic and confusion wherever they went. Gate after gate was opened. No thought was spared concerning the long-term effects on the barrier.

      In the autumn of the thirteenth year of Their Majesties’ rule, Ozorne’s great plan came to a halt. In the middle of peace talks with Tortall – whose agents had revealed his involvement in the current troubles of his neighbours – Emperor Ozorne made a final attempt to regain his advantage. He ignored omens that proclaimed the gods were most displeased with his stewardship of his kingdom. For his pains, he was turned into a Stormwing and barred from human rule. His nephew took the throne; the gate-spells were destroyed. By that time, however, the barrier had been stretched in a thousand places to cover the holes made by the magical gates. Its power flickered like a guttering candle.

      At the dawn of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, all those with any magic – Gift, immortal, and wild – woke suddenly, labouring to hear something that was not