Honour Among Thieves
Enter a world of darkness and danger, honour, daring and destiny in David Chandler’s magnificent epic trilogy: The Ancient Blades.One thief against the world…When allies become enemies, to whom can a clever thief turn?Armed with one of seven swords forged at the dawn of time, Malden was chosen by Fate to act as saviour…and failed dismally. Deceived by the trickery of his one-time ally, Mörget, the young thief employed his newfound might to help destroy the naturally barrier protecting the kingdom of Skrae – and now there will be no stopping Mörget’s barbarian hordes from pillaging the land. Suddenly friends and former supporters alike covet the young hero’s magic while seeking his destruction – from the treacherous King and leaders of the City of Ness to the rogue knight Cloy, who owes Malden his life.It will take more than Malden’s makeshift army of harlots and cutpurses to preserve a realm. Luckily the sorceress Cythera fights at his side, along with the ingenious, irascible dwarf Slag. And the wily thief still has a desperate and daring plan or two up his larcenous sleeve…
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Honour Among Thieves
Book Three of
The Ancient Blades Trilogy
David Chandler
Dedication
For J.R.R.T. and G.R.R.M., the Epic Overlords.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication Page
Map
Prologue
The Free City of Ness was known around the worldâ¦
Part 1
Under the Flag of Parley
Chapter One
On the far side of the Whitewall mountains, in theâ¦
Chapter Two
There was a mountain, and then there was no mountain.
Chapter Three
At dawnâas promisedâCroy returned, looking a little tousled after ridingâ¦
Chapter Four
On a map the fortress of Helstrow would have resembledâ¦
Chapter Five
Inside the common room of the inn, food and wineâ¦
Chapter Six
Bursting out into the sunlight, Malden turned his head wildlyâ¦
Chapter Seven
The marketers all fled or pressed into the doors ofâ¦
Chapter Eight
When Malden burst out of the inn, Cythera leapt toâ¦
Chapter Nine
They dragged Malden through the gate to the inner bailey,â¦
Chapter Ten
âThis way, sir knight, milady,â the castellan said, and usheredâ¦
Chapter Eleven
Ulfram V was a year younger than Croy, but theâ¦
Chapter Twelve
âIs this true, Croy?â the king demanded. âDid youâin factâmakeâ¦
Chapter Thirteen
Instantly Ghostcutter came to Croyâs hand. Beside him he sawâ¦
Chapter Fourteen
After Mörgain left, no one spoke for some while. Croyâ¦
Chapter Fifteen
After darkness fell, Malden and Croy headed back into theâ¦
Chapter Sixteen
He made a point of saying no more until theyâ¦
Chapter Seventeen
Cythera stood by the window in their room at theâ¦
Chapter Eighteen
Malden never actually lost consciousness, but between the pain inâ¦
Chapter Nineteen
The bridge across the river Strow began and ended withinâ¦
Chapter Twenty
In the kingâs own chapel in the keep at Helstrow,â¦
Chapter Twenty-One
The day after the gates of Helstrow were sealed, theâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Two
Malden put his hand on Acidtongueâs hilt, but kept theâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Three
T he woman from the milehouse turned out to beâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Four
Croyâs rounsey whickered and bucked as he climbed onto itsâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Five
The king walked his horse up to where the twoâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Six
The king of Skrae spluttered in rage. Croy didnât blameâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Behind the portcullis, soldiers shouted at one another and menâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Berserkers crashed up against the gate, straining and howling asâ¦
Chapter Twenty-Nine
âWhere do we take him?â Orne asked, when they wereâ¦
Part 2
The Sleeping King
Interlude
There was a place in the Free City of Nessâ¦
Chapter Thirty
Helstrow burned for days. The barbarians were too busy celebratingâ¦
Chapter Thirty-One
Just outside the gates of Ness a recruiting serjeant hadâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cythera found her mother down in Swampwall, where the riverâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Three
After Cythera went to find her mother, Malden led Slagâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Four
âThatâs ridiculous,â Malden said. How could he be Cutbillâs mostâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Five
âAlright,â Malden said. âWell, thatâs got me up to date.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Croy brought the whetstone carefully up the iron edge ofâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Through the stout oak door, Croy could hear the voicesâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The river Skrait twisted through Ness, carving its way betweenâ¦
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Walking through the brambles surrounding Coruthâs shack was disincitement enough,â¦
Chapter Forty
Malden moved out of the way as Coruth swept intoâ¦
Chapter Forty-One
When dinner was finished Malden took his leave. He wasâ¦
Chapter Forty-Two
The thieves of Ness gathered just before midnight, when theâ¦
Chapter Forty-Three
A few murmurs drifted up from the crowd regardless ofâ¦
Chapter Forty-Four
Perhaps there was a second reason why Cutbill had chosenâ¦
Chapter Forty-Five
âI have grand plans for the people of Skrae,â theâ¦
Chapter Forty-Six
The sky glowed a deep blue-black that made Maldenâs headâ¦
Chapter Forty-Seven
The air in Coruthâs house felt like it had beenâ¦
Chapter Forty-Eight
Mörget whirled his axe through the air and brought itâ¦
Chapter Forty-Nine
The bandit camp proved a sorry affair. Two dozen menâ¦
Chapter Fifty
Barbarian pickets controlled the road between Helstrow and Redweir, butâ¦
Chapter Fifty-One
The Baron sighed and looked down at his maps andâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Two
Money kept coming in, as it always had, and thatâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Three
It didnât take long for the thief-takers to make theirâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Four
Slag followed Malden all the way across the Sawyerâs Bridgeâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Five
âProtection?â Malden repeated, when Herwig had told him what sheâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Six
Croy knelt low in the brambles by the side ofâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Seven
I didnât want this job, Malden thought. I never askedâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Eight
It wasnât easy getting the word out so late inâ¦
Chapter Fifty-Nine
An old fishwife with a face like a rotten parsnipâ¦
Chapter Sixty
Coruth did not wait to hear if he would follow.
Chapter Sixty-One
In a muddy field just off the Helstrow road, Baronâ¦
Chapter Sixty-Two
Mörgainâs barbarians were distracted by the archers and turned outwardsâ¦
