A Thief in the Night
Enter a world of darkness and danger, honour, daring and destiny in David Chandler’s magnificent epic trilogy: The Ancient Blades.It takes a thief to destroy a demon…Circumstance made him a criminal.Destiny may make him a hero.As a thief, Malden is unparalleled in the Free City of Ness. But he has no desire to take up arms against the forces of horrific evil. By saving the life of the knight Croy, however, Malden has bound himself to an ancient, noble brotherhood…and he now possesses a magical weapon forged at the dawn of time – one of only seven swords capable of destroying demons.Malden fears accompanying Croy and the barbarian Mörget on their quest to dispatch a foul creature of nightmare…nor does he want to disturb the vengeful dead. But with an assassin on his heels, the young cutpurse is left with no choice but to follow. And there is the comely sorceress, Cythera, to consider – promised to Croy but in love with Malden – not to mention the fabulous treasure rumoured to be waiting in the inescapable depths of the demon’s lair…
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A Thief in the Night
Book Two of The Ancient Blades Trilogy
David Chandler
Dedication
For G.G. and D.A., on the outer planes.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Map
Prologue
In a place of stone walls, attended by his acolytes
Part 1
Chapter One
A thin crescent of moon lit up the rooftops of…
Chapter Two
It was not more than an hour later when Malden…
Chapter Three
It was a long ride from the Golden Slope to…
Chapter Four
Malden grabbed a sack of coins from the wagon—Doral’s first…
Chapter Five
“Cythera should be here by now,” Sir Croy said, and…
Chapter Six
A flying tankard full of beer nearly struck Croy’s face…
Chapter Seven
“I think … they’re hugging each other,” Malden said. He…
Chapter Eight
Malden scampered up onto the roof of the tavern and…
Chapter Nine
There was no word Malden knew that could get Croy’s…
Chapter Ten
“I returned to the shaft many times, trying to plumb…
Chapter Eleven
“So of course, I told him to jump in the…
Chapter Twelve
Croy and Mörget set about at once outfitting themselves for…
Chapter Thirteen
If Malden wasn’t going on Croy’s grand adventure, he needed…
Chapter Fourteen
The hired paddock filled most of the space between two…
Chapter Fifteen
A drizzling rain rolled down Croy’s best loden cloak the…
Part 2
Interlude
Chapter Sixteen
The band of adventurers passed through King’s Gate without any…
Chapter Seventeen
In the morning Malden woke late, and came out to…
Chapter Eighteen
They covered twenty miles that day, pushing the horses near…
Chapter Nineteen
The following day the sun was warm and rippled along…
Chapter Twenty
“You,” Malden said. “I’ve seen you before. Back up the…
Chapter Twenty-One
The horses screamed as water jumped over the side of…
Chapter Twenty-Two
There was still plenty of daylight left, so the companions…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Croy and Mörget studied a map for a while, then…
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Please,” Herward said, “let me show you what meager hospitality…
Chapter Twenty-Five
Croy followed Cythera as she turned her horse up the…
Part 3
Interlude
Chapter Twenty-Six
The five of them made a simple camp just outside…
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Malden crawled forward on his hands and knees a few…
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The door opened easily on its hinges. It didn’t even…
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When Malden found the trap, he had to smile. It…
Chapter Thirty
Croy called out in shock but Malden was already in…
Chapter Thirty-One
“Then—someone else has been here. And recently,” Cythera said.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The five of them moved cautiously forward toward the center…
Chapter Thirty-Three
It seemed to take hours for the torch to fall…
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Lad, lass, get up,” Slag said, shaking Malden and Cythera…
Chapter Thirty-Five
The barbarian did not panic as the bony fingers dug…
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Do you hear any more of them?” Mörget asked, when…
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Out in the darkness, the revenants began to scream for…
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Malden was halfway down the rope when he looked up…
Chapter Thirty-Nine
They had not had the presence of mind to gather…
Chapter Forty
The marketplace corridor led hundreds of feet back from the…
Chapter Forty-One
Coarse sand crusted Croy’s cheek, digging into his flesh. He…
Chapter Forty-Two
Mörget had both their packs open and the contents spread…
Chapter Forty-Three
Malden climbed into the brazen cage and braced himself by…
Chapter Forty-Four
Slag’s path led them through the largest forge Malden had…
Chapter Forty-Five
Malden dropped the bar instantly. He grabbed up a candle…
Chapter Forty-Six
“What was that sound, just now?” Croy asked.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Croy and Mörget moved forward silently, taking light steps to…
Chapter Forty-Eight
Malden heaved at the iron bar again, and the stone…
Chapter Forty-Nine
“No, damn you,” Slag wheezed. “No! The book was clear.
Chapter Fifty
Croy went first down the secret tunnel, Ghostcutter drawn and…
Chapter Fifty-One
The demon flowed across the floor, the edges of its…
Chapter Fifty-Two
The blue-haired creature walked on its knuckles toward Malden and…
Chapter Fifty-Three
Cythera clutched her hands together, beseeching the dwarf one last…
Chapter Fifty-Four
Malden stepped carefully outside the door, watching the floor carefully…
Chapter Fifty-Five
Croy desperately needed to rest. Yet he would not, not…
Part 4
Interlude
Chapter Fifty-Six
Malden lifted the lantern high and scanned the rest of…
Chapter Fifty-Seven
“There!” one of the dwarves shouted.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Malden’s head spun. Lights burst in the backs of his…
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Malden howled in anger and horror. He forgot all about…
Chapter Sixty
Outside the throne room, Mörget and Croy hid behind thick…
Chapter Sixty-One
Malden hurried forward through the red-shadowed streets of the dormitory…
Chapter Sixty-Two
The foundry offered a hundred good places to conceal Malden.
Chapter Sixty-Three
A cry went up immediately, and someone shouted “He has…
Chapter Sixty-Four
Croy signaled for Mörget to come forward. It looked like…
Chapter Sixty-Five
“Malden stood here, yes. He must have been under attack…
Chapter Sixty-Six
The female dwarf hurried ahead, while Mörget and Croy took…
