Royal Airs

Ace Books by Sharon Shinn

THE SHAPE OF DESIRE

STILL LIFE WITH SHAPE-SHIFTER

TROUBLED WATERS

ROYAL AIRS

MYSTIC AND RIDER

THE THIRTEENTH HOUSE

DARK MOON DEFENDER

READER AND RAELYNX

FORTUNE AND FATE

ARCHANGEL

JOVAH’S ANGEL

THE ALLELUIA FILES

ANGELICA

ANGEL-SEEKER

WRAPT IN CRYSTAL

THE SHAPE-CHANGER’S WIFE

HEART OF GOLD

SUMMERS AT CASTLE AUBURN

JENNA STARBORN

QUATRAIN

Viking / Firebird Books by Sharon Shinn

THE SAFE-KEEPER’S SECRET

THE TRUTH-TELLER’S TALE

THE DREAM-MAKER’S MAGIC

GENERAL WINSTON’S DAUGHTER

GATEWAY

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

USA • Canada • UK • Ireland • Australia • New Zealand • India • South Africa • China

penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

Copyright © 2013 by Sharon Shinn.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Ace Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

ACE and the “A” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-58976-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shinn, Sharon.

Royal airs : an Elemental Blessings novel / Sharon Shinn.

pages cm. — (An Elemental Blessings novel)

ISBN 978-0-425-26171-2 (hardback)

1. Magic—Fiction. 2. Fantasy fiction. I. Title.

PS3569.H499R69 2013

813'.54—dc23

2013027604

FIRST EDITION: November 2013

Cover illustration © Jonathan Barkat.

Cover photos: sunset and clouds © Pavel Vakhrushev/Shutterstock;
stormy clouds © Shebeko/Shutterstock.

Cover design by Judith Lagerman.

Interior text design by Tiffany Estreicher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Version_1

Contents

Dedication

Who’s Who in Welce

Random Blessings

Quintiles & Changedays

Money

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SEVEN

TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-NINE

To Margaux, who never has time to read, and Denise, who sometimes does. You have both been blessings in my life.

W
HO’S
W
HO IN
W
ELCE

THE PRINCESSES

J
OSETTA
, daughter of Queen Seterre and Navarr Ardelay

C
ORENE
, daughter of Queen Alys and Darien Serlast

N
ATALIE
, daughter of Queen Romelle and an unknown lover

O
DELIA
, daughter of Queen Romelle and King Vernon

M
ALLY
, the decoy princess for Odelia

THE PRIMES

Z
OE
L
ALINDAR
,
coru
. Daughter of Navarr Ardelay, wife of Darien Serlast, mother of Celia

N
ELSON
A
RDELAY
,
sweela
. Father of Kurtis and Rhan, brother to Navarr, uncle to Josetta and Zoe

M
IRTI
S
ERLAST
,
hunti
. Aunt of Darien

T
ARO
F
ROTHEN
,
torz
. Distant relation of Romelle

K
AYLE
D
OCHENZA
,
elay

THE POLITICIANS

D
ARIEN
S
ERLAST
, regent of Welce

Q
UEEN
E
LIDON
, King Vernon’s first wife

G
HYANETH
, prince of Berringey

F
ILOMARA
, empress of Malinqua

R
ANDOM
B
LESSINGS

Q
UINTILES &
C
HANGEDAYS

The calendar of Welce is divided into five quintiles. A quintile consists of eight “weeks,” each nine days long. Most shops and other businesses are closed on the firstday of each nineday.

The first quintile of the year, Quinnelay, stretches from early to deep winter. It is followed by Quinncoru, which encompasses late winter to mid spring; Quinnahunti, late spring to mid summer; Quinnatorz, late summer to fall; and Quinnasweela, fall to early winter.