Dragonclaw
Authors: Kate Forsyth
Kate Forsyth lives in Sydney with her husband Greg, their sons Benjamin and Timothy, a little black cat called Shadow (Skitty for short) and far too many books. She has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and has certainly been writing stories from the time she learnt to hold a pen. Being allowed to read, write and daydream as much as she likes and call it working is the most wonderful life imaginable and so she thanks you all for making it possible.
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You can read more about Kate at her website at
http://www.kateforsyth.com.au
or send a message to her at
[email protected]
The Witches of Eileanan series:
The Pool of Two Moons
The Cursed Towers
The Forbidden Land
The Skull of the World
The Fathomless Caves
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian
Copyright Act 1968
), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author's and publisher's rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
DRAGONCLAW
Book One of the Witches of Eileanan
ePub ISBN 9781742744865
An Arrow Book
published by
Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, NSW 2060
Sydney New York Toronto
London Auckland Johannesburg
First published 1997
Copyright © Kate Forsyth 1997
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Forsyth, Kate, 1966-.
Dragonclaw.
ISBN 978 0 09183 510 1.
ISBN 0 09183 510 0.
I. Title. (Series : Witches of Eileanan trilogy ; 1).
A823.3
for my darling
The first thread of this story was spun many years ago, and many hands have helped in its weaving. First and most important was my mother, who taught me to read almost before I could walk. Many of the creatures in this novel owe their names to her, and it is from her that I learnt my great love of words and ideas. Thanks and love also to my stepfather Glyn, for all he has done for me over the years; my Aunty Roz, who first showed me books could take you to another world; my grandmother Nonnie, kindred spirit and fellow lover of books; my sister Binny, who told me stories every night and was my first editor and critic; my brother Nick, who has always been there for me; and my dad, who always said I could do anything I wanted to do.
Also thanks to my agent Gaby Naher and my publisher Linda Funnell, who loved it and gave it life; to my editor Julia Stiles and Professor Van Ikin, for their hard work and many useful suggestions; to Garth Nix, Tara Wynne, Jane Palfreyman and Zoe Walton; and to all my friends and family, in acknowledgement of their sufferings while I wrote it. Last and definitely not least, my husband Greg, without whom this book would still be a dream.
⦠This aforesaid Agnis Sampson ⦠was taken and brought to Halicuid house before the Kings Majestie and sundry other nobility of Scotland, where she was straitly examined, but all the persuasions which the Kings Majestie used to her with ye rest of his counsell, might not provoke or induce her to confesse anything, but stood stiffely in the deniall of all that was laide to her charge: whereupon they caused her to be conveied awaye to prison, there to receive such torture as hath been lately provided for witches in ⦠Scotland ⦠Agnis Sampson was after brought againe before the Kings Majestie and his Counsell, and being examined of the meetings and detestable dealings of the witches, she confessed ⦠sundrye things which were so miraculous and strange, as that his Majestie saide they were all extreme liars, wherat she ⦠declared unto him the verye wordes which passed betweene the Kings Majestie and his Queene ⦠the first night of their marriage, with their answere eache to other: wherat the Kings Majestie wondered greatleye, and swore by the living God, that he believed that all the Devils in hell could not have discovered the same ⦠Moreover, she confessed that at the time ⦠she being accompanied with the parties before specially named, took a Cat and christened it, and afterwards bound to each parte of the Cat the chiefest partes of a dead man ⦠and that in the night following the deade Cat was conveied into the midst of the sea ⦠this doone, there did arise such a tempest in the Sea, as a greater hath not beene seene ⦠then was the winde contrary and altogether against his Majestie: and further the saide witch declared, that his Majestie had never come safelye from the Sea, if his faith had not prevailed above their intentions â¦'
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KING
J
AMES THE
F
IRST AND
S
IXTH
DÃMONOLOGIE, 1597
