Rules of Ascension: Book One of Winds of the Forelands (75 page)

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Authors: David B. Coe

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Her meeting with Cadel only served to make her more certain of what she already knew. For now it seemed that Grinsa had survived his encounter with Jedrek. Once more, still eyeing the assassin’s gold, Cresenne found herself thinking about that night at the inn in Curgh, when his tiny mist spun in her hand. She had never seen anyone do such a thing. Grinsa claimed that he could only conjure a small mist, but she felt certain that few Qirsi possessed the power necessary to create and control such a perfect little cloud.

All along, there had been more to him than she could put into words, more than she had ever dreamed she would find in a mere Revel gleaner. How else had he managed to make her love him so? He was a Weaver. It explained so much.

It also changed everything. Grinsa was far more than an inconvenience, a problem to be addressed and forgotten. He was a threat to the entire movement.

Or was he? For the first time, sitting in that sunny courtyard in Noltierre, Cresenne considered an enticing possibility. For so long she had assumed that only the Weaver she knew, the one who had darkened the sky in her dreams, could bring Qirsi rule to the Forelands. But what if there was another way? What if Grinsa, who had loved her and might love her still, and whose child she carried, could be convinced to embrace this cause? True, he opposed them now. But this new life growing inside her might be enough to turn him. Though there was no way to be certain, it was possible that their son or daughter would be a Weaver as well. If the child grew up under
Eandi rule, he or she would live a life of fear and forced deception, just as had Grinsa, and so many Weavers before him.

But if the movement were to succeed, bringing Qirsi rule to the Forelands, all that would be altered. Weavers would be revered rather than persecuted. Instead of concealing their power, they would rejoice in it. Instead of pretending to be mere gleaners, they would aspire to be kings and queens.

What kind of father—what kind of Qirsi—would not want to create such a world for his child?

The problem was the assassin. Grinsa had defeated Jedrek, but Cadel was a far more dangerous man. One could tell simply from looking at him. If she could have lied to him this day, rather than revealing Grinsa’s name, she would have. But to do so would have been to risk her own life and that of her child. She had no choice but to send the assassin after him, again.
It would have been harder had I known
, she had told the Weaver. It was.

She had to trust that Grinsa could protect himself. She had to believe that the gods would watch over her baby’s father.

Above all, she had to hope that the Weaver wouldn’t find Grinsa before she did.

Though writing a book may seem to be a solitary endeavor, it would be impossible for an author to survive this process alone. I am fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinary people who make it possible for me to live the dream of my youth.

Many thanks to my agent, Lucienne Diver; my publisher, Tom Doherty; the terrific people at Tor Books, in particular Jenifer Hunt and Peter Lutjen; Carol Russo and her staff; my marvelous editor and good friend, Jim Frenkel; and Jim’s staff, in particular Tracy Berg and Jesse Vogel. I also want to thank my siblings, Bill, Liz, and Jim, who continue to offer their support and love, even as they wonder how someone who started out so normal could end up writing fantasy.

Finally, my deepest thanks go to my wife, Nancy Berner, and our daughters, Alex and Erin. Without their love and support, I would never accomplish anything, and without the music of their laughter floating up to my office in the afternoons, I’d never know when to stop working.

A number of years ago, Nancy told me that just once she’d like to read one of my books fresh, like any other reader would, without having read a draft or served as a sounding board for plot ideas. Here it is, Love. Enjoy.

—D.B.C.

A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK NEW YORK

TOR BOOKS BY DAVID B. COE

THE LONTOBYN CHRONICLE

Children of Amarid
The Outlanders
Eagle-Sage

WINDS OF THE FORELANDS

Rules of Ascension

About the Author

David B. Coe grew up just outside of New York City, the youngest of four children. He attended Brown University as an undergraduate and later received a Ph.D. in history from Stanford. He briefly considered a career as an academic, but wisely thought better of it.

David has published three other novels and is the 1999 recipient of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award. He lives in Tennessee with his wife, Nancy J. Berner, their daughters, Alex and Erin, and of course, Buddy, the wonder dog.
Rules of Ascension
is the first volume of
Winds of the Forelands
. David is currently working on volume two,
Seeds of Betrayal.

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

RULES OF ASCENSION

Edited by James Frenkel

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

www.tor-forge.com

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

Design by Heidi Eriksen
Maps by Ellisa Mitchell

eISBN 9781429911030

First eBook Edition : January 2011

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Coe, David B.

Rules of ascension / David B. Coe.—1st ed.