S. M. Stirling - The High King of Montival

Table of Contents

NOVELS OF THE CHANGE

ISLAND IN THE SEA OF TIME
AGAINST THE TIDE OF YEARS
ON THE OCEANS OF ETERNITY

DIES THE FIRE
THE PROTECTORS WAR
A MEETING AT CORVALLIS

THE SUNRISE LANDS
THE SCOURGE OF GOD
THE SWORD OF THE LADY

OTHER NOVELS BY S. M. STIRLING

THE PESHAWAR LANCERS
CONQUISTADOR
A TAINT IN THE BLOOD

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, September 2010

Copyright Steven M. Stirling, 2010

Map by Courtney Skinner
All rights reserved

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Stirling, S. M.
The High King of Montival: a novel of the change/S. M. Stirling.
p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-46006-1

1. Regression (Civilization)Fiction. I. Title.
PS3569.T543H54 2010
813.54dc22

2010016068

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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To Diana Paxson, fellow bard

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Yet more!

Thanks to my friends who are also first readers:

To Steve Brady, for assistance with dialects and British background, and also natural history of all sorts.

Thanks also to Kier Salmon, for once again helping with the beautiful complexities of the Old Religion, and with... well, all sorts of stuff!

To Diana L. Paxson, for help and advice, and for writing the beautiful Westria books, among many others. If you like the Change novels, youll probably enjoy the hell out of the Westria booksI certainly did, and they were one of the inspirations for this series; and her Essential Asatru and recommendation of Our Troth were extremely helpful... and fascinating reading.

To Dale Price, for help with Catholic organization, theology and praxis; and for his entertaining blog, Dyspeptic Mutterings, which can be read at http://dprice.blogspot.com/ .

To Brenda Sutton, for multitudinous advice.

To Melinda Snodgrass, Emily Mah, Terry England, George R. R. Martin, Walter Jon Williams, Vic Milan, Jan Stirling and Ian Tregellis of Critical Mass, for constant help and advice as the book was under construction.

Thanks to John Miller, good friend, writer and scholar, for many useful discussions, for loaning me some great books, and for some really, really cool old movies.

Special thanks to Heather Alexander, bard and balladeer, for permission to use the lyrics from her beautiful songs which can beand should be!ordered at www.heatherlands.com . Run, do not walk, to do so.

Thanks again to William Pint and Felicia Dale for permission to use their music, which can be found at http://members.aol.com/pintndale/ and should be, for anyone with an ear and salt water in their veins.

And to Three Weird SistersGwen Knighton, Mary Crowell, Brenda Sutton and Teresa Powellwhose alternately funny and beautiful music can be found at www.threeweirdsisters.com/ .

And to Heather Dale for permission to quote the lyrics of her songs, whose beautiful (and strangely appropriate!) music can be found at www.HeatherDale.com and is highly recommended. The lyrics are wonderful and the tunes make it even better. Thanks to S. J. Sooj Tucker for permission to use the lyrics of her beautiful songs, which can be found at www.skinnywhitechick.com , and should be.

Thanks again to Russell Galen, my agent, who has been an invaluable help and friend for a decade now, and never more than in these difficult times.

All mistakes, infelicities and errors are of course my own.

CHAPTER ONE

NANTUCKET ISLAND
IMBOLC, FEBRUARY 18,
CHANGE YEAR 24/2023 AD

Where did it all go? Mathilda Arminger said. There were roads and houses! Now its just trees. Theyre old trees too; you can see that, even if the sea-wind has stunted them.

Why are you asking me? Rudi Mackenzie said, with studied reason in his tones.

The which always drives you crazy and makes your eyes sparkle fetchingly, anamchara mine, he thought.

Youre the one with the magic sword!

Mathilda caught the twinkle in his own eye and stuck out her tongue at him. They laughed, a quiet, relieved sound; it was good to have nothing but a mystery troubling them, as opposed to homicidal strangers. Rudi let his hand fall to the hilt of the weapon slung at his right hip. The pommel shaped of moon-crystal held in antlers gave him a slight cool shock as his calloused palm touched it, less a physical sensation than a mental one... or possibly spiritual.

What does it feel like? Mathilda asked, subdued again.

To hold it?

She nodded, and he went on: Its... hard to describe; that it is. Not as much of a shock as the first time; I grow used to it, but... Its as if my thoughts themselves were faster somehow. More sure. More themselves. You know how you think, If I do a certain thing, that might happen, or the other thing, or, then again, perhaps this? And your wit and experience give you an idea of each, and how likely they are? Well, when I do that now its as if little mummers were making a play of it in my head, and I know whats most likely. Its... disconcerting; that it is.

It would be, she said seriously. Useful! But, well, Rudi, if you could really see what would happen whenever you did something, would you have any freedom of choice at all? After all, youd always know the best thing to do!

He laughed a little, but there was less amusement in it this time.

Sure. Dont folk choose to do things even if they know its folly and the result will be black disaster? And dont they do that all the time?

She snorted and elbowed him in the side. In armor it was more heard than felt, but he took the point.

So, bearer of the Sword of the Lady, what does its power tell you about this island? What and where and what is it, now? she said.