Diana Pharaoh Francis - The Turning Tide: A Novel of Crosspointe

Table of Contents

Praise for the Novels of Diana Pharaoh Francis

The Cipher

Francis has crafted an original world, real people, and high-stakes intrigue and adventure. Great fun.

Patricia Briggs, New York Times bestselling author

Lucy is as engaging a character as Ive met in a long time.

Lynn Flewelling

The first in a fascinating new series by Diana Pharaoh Francis, and so far, its shaping up to be a remarkably intriguing twist on the usual fantasy setting.... Its a refreshing change of pace, and a setting that seems ripe for exploration.... This is definitely a fantasy to look out for.

The Green Man Review

So well described that readers will believe that theyre in the midst of the storm that opens the book.... Intrigue, action, and a bit of romance make for a highly satisfying story.

Romantic Times

Intriguing fantasy... a delightful read.... Genre fans will enjoy Diana Pharaoh Franciss fine character-driven saga.

Baryon Magazine

Path of Blood

Excellent characterizations, intriguing political maneuvering, and some fascinating battle scenes, both mundane and magical, make this sword and sorcery tale a must-read for fans of Katherine Kurtzs Deryni Chronicles.

Midwest Book Review

A glorious conclusion... many surprises and plot twists... some so delightfully shocking and incredible that they will stun the reader as they are cleverly worked into the book and provide the unexpected.

SFRevu

Path of Honor

A stubborn, likable heroine.

Kristen Britain

Well plotted and exhibiting superior characterization, [ Path of Honor ] is definitely a worthy sequel.

Booklist

Path of Fate

Plausible, engrossing characters, a well-designed world, and a well-realized plot.

Booklist

This is an entertaining bookat times compellingfrom one of fantasys promising new voices.

David B. Coe, award-winning author of
Seeds of Betrayal

Other Novels by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Novels of Crosspointe
The Cipher
The Black Ship

The Path Novels
Path of Blood
Path of Honor
Path of Fate

ROC
Published by New American Library, a division of
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, May 2009

Copyright Diana Pharaoh Francis, 2009

eISBN : 978-1-101-04769-9

All rights reserved

REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHERS NOTE

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

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For Tony, Q-ball, and Princess Caesar

Acknowledgments

Welcome, my friends, to this glorious realm where I get to romp merrily across the pages, telling lies and truths and wallowing in wonder and magic. Thank you thank you! to all of you who read my books and keep coming back.

Thanks also go to Lucienne Diver, Jessica Wade, Paul Youll, Cortney Skinner, and all the rare and wondrous folks at Roc who magically turn my words into a lovely book and then put them into readers hands.

Thanks to Melissa Sawmiller, Christy Keyes, and Kenna and Megan Glasscock for being my guinea pig readers as I draft books. They read the dreck and help me polish it into gold. They also cheer me on and make me laugh and generally do not allow me to take myself too seriously.

Thanks to my LiveJournal buds who visit my blog and remind me that I dont write in a vacuum. (Come hang out with me yourself! http://difrancis.livejournal.com .)

For lots more about Crosspointe and my other books, come visit my Web site at www.dianapfrancis.com .

And lastly, I wouldnt be able to write books without the patience and support of my family.

Chapter 1

Youll chew your fingers off if you keep gnawing at them like that, Shaye said laconically to Fairlie. Im guessing, he continued from where he leaned against a tall cabinet, his arms crossed over his chest, that you may want the use of them in the future. It would be difficult to do your work without them.

Fairlie gave him a baleful look. Its not like I have anything better to do.

She thrust suddenly to her feet with a sound of frustration, knocking her stool over with a clatter. Theyve been knackering in there more than a glass. What can they possibly have to talk about? Yes or noperfectly simple, she said, stomping down a crooked aisle inside her cramped workroom, her heavy boots thumping on the slate floor. It hardly seemed possible that this crammed-to-the-rafters room was fully as large as her forge on the other side of the obstinately closed doors.

The outer workroom contained an array of tables, workbenches, shelves, and cupboards, most of which were heaped with the detritus of her trade: tools, wire, metal scraps, rags, buckets, boxes, casks, ropes, chains, leather aprons and gloves, shards of glass, sylveth and precious stones, and a thousand other little bits and oddments that Fairlie had collected in the expectation that someday they would be useful. She never threw anything away.