Shapers of Darkness

“Behind you, my lord!”

Tebeo spun, his sword arcing downward, intending to cleave his second attacker in half from shoulder to gut. The soldier danced away, avoiding his blade, and the duke allowed his momentum to carry him all the way around so that he faced the other soldier once more.

The man in front of him lunged forward, sword held high, his dagger hand leveling a killing blow at Tebeo’s side. The duke wrenched himself down and away from both blades, stumbled and fell heavily on his side. Fortunately, one of Dantrielle’s men was there to meet the assault and drive back the Solkaran soldier. It was the second time in the last few moments that Tebeo had needed aid from one of his soldiers just to stay alive.

The second Solkaran soldier advanced on the duke again, his sword and short blade raised. Tebeo scrambled to his feet and readied his steel, his eyes darting to the left and right. All of his men who were close enough to come to his rescue were engaged in combat. He’d have no help with this fight.

They struggled for several moments, silent save for the rasp of their breathing. And just as Tebeo managed to wrap his fingers around the hilt of his dagger, he saw the man’s arm fly free, steel glinting in the sunlight like the wing of a dragonfly. Then the arm dangled downward, a blur of steel and mail and flesh, and Tebeo felt a searing pain in his side.

“If the series continues to maintain its present level of imaginative world-building, superior characterization, and sound prose, the next book too will be as welcome an addition to fantasy collections as this one is.”—
Booklist

T
OR BOOKS BY
D
AVID
B. C
OE

THE LONTOBYN CHRONICLE
Children of Amarid
The Outlanders
Eagle-Sage

WINDS OF THE FORELANDS
Rules of Ascension
Seeds of Betrayal
Bonds of Vengeance
Shapers of Darkness
Weavers of War

BOOK FOUR
OF
Winds of the Forelands

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This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously.

SHAPERS OF DARKNESS:
BOOK FOUR OF WINDS OF THE FORELANDS

Copyright © 2005 by David B. Coe

Excerpt from
Weavers of War
copyright © 2007 by David B. Coe

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

Edited by James Frenkel

Maps by Ellisa Mitchell

A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

www.tor.com

Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

ISBN-13: 978-0-812-59021-0
ISBN-10: 0-812-59021-X

First Edition: December 2005
First Mass Market Edition: February 2007

Printed in the United States of America

0   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

For Harold and Marjorie Roth,
with all my thanks for a lifetime of friendship

Acknowledgments

Again, many thanks to my wonderful agent, Lucienne Diver; my publisher, Tom Doherty; the great people at Tor Books, in particular David Moench and Fiona Lee; Irene Gallo and her staff; Terry McGarry for her friendship and unbelievably thorough copyediting; my terrific editor and good friend, Jim Frenkel; his editorial assistant, Liz Gorinsky; and his interns, in particular Stosh Jonjak, David Polsky, Michael Gorewitz, and John Payne.

As always, I’m most grateful to Nancy, Alex, and Erin, who always manage to keep me laughing.

—D.B.C.

Characters

KINGDOM OF EIBITHAR

City of Kings

K
EARNEY THE
F
IRST
, king of Eibithar, formerly duke of Glyndwr

L
EILIA
, queen of Eibithar, formerly duchess of Glyndwr, wife of Kearney

K
EZIAH JA
D
AFYDD
, archminister of Eibithar, formerly first minister of Glyndwr

G
ERSHON
T
RASKER
, swordmaster of Eibithar, formerly swordmaster of Glyndwr

A
YLYN THE
S
ECOND
, king of Eibithar, formerly duke of Thorald (deceased)

W
ENDA JA
B
AUL
, high minister of Eibithar

P
AEGAR JAL
B
ERGET
, high minister of Eibithar (deceased)

D
YRE JAL
F
RINVAL
, minister of Eibithar

House of Curgh

J
AVAN
, duke of Curgh

S
HONAH
, duchess of Curgh, wife of Javan

L
ORD
T
AVIS OF
C
URGH
, son of Javan and Shonah

G
RINSA JAL
A
RRIET
, formerly a gleaner in Bohdan’s Revel

F
OTIR JAL
S
ALENE
, first minister of Curgh

H
AGAN
M
AR
C
ULLET
, swordmaster of Curgh

D
ARIA
M
AR
C
ULLET
, wife of Hagan (deceased)

X
AVER
M
AR
C
ULLET
, pledged liege man to Tavis of Curgh, son of Hagan and Daria

House of Kentigern

A
INDREAS
, duke of Kentigern

I
OANNA
, duchess of Kentigern, wife of Aindreas