Cast in Sorrow

THE END OF HER JOURNEY IS ONLY

THE BEGINNING…

The Barrani would be happy to see her die. So Kaylin Neya is a bit surprised by her safe arrival in the West March. Especially when enemies new and old surround her and those she would call friends are equally dangerous…

And then the real trouble starts. Kaylin’s assignment is to be a “harmoniste”—one who helps tell the truth behind a Barrani Recitation. But in a land where words are more effective than weapons, Kaylin’s duties are deadly. With the wrong phrase she could tear a people further asunder. And with the right ones…well, then she might be able to heal a blight on a race.

If only she understood the story.…

Praise for New York Times bestselling author

MICHELLE SAGARA

and The Chronicles of Elantra series

“No one provides an emotional payoff like Michelle Sagara.

Combine that with a fast-paced police procedural, deadly magics, five very different races and a wickedly dry sense of humor—well, it doesn’t get any better than this.” —Bestselling author Tanya Huff on The Chronicles of Elantra series

“Intense, fast-paced, intriguing,

compelling and hard to put down…unforgettable.” —In the Library Reviews on Cast in Shadow

“Readers will embrace this compelling,

strong-willed heroine with her often sarcastic voice.” —Publishers Weekly on Cast in Courtlight

“The impressively detailed setting and the

book’s spirited heroine are sure to charm romance readers, as well as fantasy fans who like some mystery with their magic.” —Publishers Weekly on Cast in Secret

“Along with the exquisitely detailed world building,

Sagara’s character development is mesmerizing. She expertly breathes life into a stubborn yet evolving heroine. A true master of her craft!” —RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars) on Cast in Fury

“Each visit to this amazing world, with its richness of place

and character, is one to relish.” —RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars) on Cast in Silence

“Another satisfying addition to an already vivid and

entertaining fantasy series.” —Publishers Weekly on Cast in Chaos

“If you are searching for a rich and rewarding fantasy

read different from the usual fantasy fare, then you can’t go wrong with Cast in Ruin and The Chonicles of Elantra series. Heartily recommended.” —SciFiGuy on Cast in Ruin

“Sagara does an amazing job continuing to flesh out her large cast

of characters, but keeps the unsinkable Kaylin at the center.” —RT Book Reviews (4 ½ stars) on Cast in Peril

Cast in Sorrow

Michelle Sagara

This is for Mr. Liebgott, Ms. Gann, Ms. Evans,

Maggie Fehlberg, teachers all.

My teachers. They probably deserved better than I gave them, but they encouraged my love of reading, and when it blossomed—at an early age—into childish attempts to write books (I thought that books were individually drawn and bound, which of course makes no sense), they encouraged that just as fondly.

This book wouldn’t exist without them.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

To say that Private Kaylin Neya was out of her element was to master the art of understatement. Fish out of water had nothing on the groundhawk whose entire life had been lived within the boundaries of Elantra—either on the city streets or in the fiefs at its heart.

This had become obvious the moment she entered the forest, walking between Severn and Teela and surrounded—literally—by Barrani. Or as she walked through forest, at any rate, because this far across the known map, it was all forest. Never an aficionado of fine art, she’d nonetheless seen paintings, and the occasional diorama of ancient forests, and she had known what to expect: tall, majestic trees, shade-dappled forest floors and shafts of brilliant, solid sunlight illuminating strategic patches of charming undergrowth, with the occasional frail animal thrown in for good measure. In the paintings, there were no Barrani, no dragons, and no angry Leontines; there were no drug dealers, no muggers, no frauds, and no rapists. The artists evoked a sense of peaceful idyll.

Hah.

Painters should have been Court diplomats—men and women who’d mastered the art of telling pretentious lies with more or less straight faces. For one, they left out the bugs. On some level, Kaylin didn’t blame them—if she’d had the choice, she’d’ve left them out, too. Unfortunately, she didn’t. The insects didn’t appear to bother the Barrani. She was glad—in an entirely petty way—that they occasionally bit Severn, because it made their choice of dinner snacks racial, rather than purely personal. He didn’t appear to take offense as much.

Then again, he had other things on his mind, chief among them, not tripping over inconveniently placed tree roots and landing on his face. His left eye had, over the course of two days, developed a purple-black tinge. He’d taken one wound to his upper left thigh, and two broad gashes across his left rib cage, one of which had exposed bone. He’d allowed her to heal the wounds by a few days’ worth, no more.