Lady Knight
Duty or glory: which will she choose? The adventure continues in the final instalment of the New York Times bestselling series from the fantasy author who is a legend herself: TAMORA PIERCE. A powerful classic that is more timely than ever, the Protector of the Small series is about smashing the ceilings others place above you. Keladry of Mindelan has finally achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a knight – but it’s not quite what she imagined. In the midst of a brutal war, Kel has been assigned to oversee a refugee camp. Others are sent to fight. Though certain she has been given this inglorious and difficult task because Lord Wyldon continues to deny she is equal to her male peers, Kel is learning the importance of caring for people who havebeen robbed of their homes, of self-respect and of safety. Perhaps this is the most important battleground in the war? But when Kel discovers truths behind the monstrous killing devices that her friends are fighting without her, will she honour her sworn duty... or embark on a quest that could turn the tide of the war? A powerful classic that is more timely than ever, the Protector of the Small series is about smashing the ceilings others place above you. In a landmark quartet published years before it’s time, Kel must prove herself twice as good as her male peers just to be thought equal. A series that touches on questions of courage, friendship, a humane perspective – told against a backdrop of a magical, action-packed fantasy adventure. ‘I take more comfort from and as great pleasure in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall novels as I do from Game of Thrones’Washington Post
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LADY KNIGHT
BOOK 4 OF THE PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL QUARTET
Tamora Pierce
HarperVoyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019
Copyright © Tamora Pierce 2002
Map copyright © Isidre Mones 2017
Jacket design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019
Tamora Pierce asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008304287
Ebook Edition © September 2019 ISBN: 9780008304294
Version: 2019-06-25
‘Tamora Pierce didn’t just blaze a trail. Her heroines cut a swathe through the fantasy world with wit, strength, and savvy. Pierce is the real lioness, and we’re all just running to keep pace.’
LEIGH BARDUGO, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘Tamora Pierce creates epic worlds populated by girls and women of bravery, heart, and strength. Her work inspired a generation of writers and continues to inspire us.’
HOLLY BLACK, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘Tamora Pierce’s books shaped me not only as a young writer but also as a young woman. Her complex, unforgettable heroines and vibrant, intricate worlds blazed a trail for young adult fantasy – and I get to write what I love today because of the path she forged throughout her career. She is a pillar, an icon, and an inspiration.’
SARAH J. MAAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘I take more comfort from and as great pleasure in Tamora Pierce’s Tortall novels as I do from Game of Thrones’
Washington Post
‘Tamora Pierce and her brilliant heroines didn’t just break down barriers; they smashed them with magical fire.’
KATHERINE ARDEN, author of The Bear and the Nightingale
To the people of New York City, I always knew the great sacrifice and kindness my neighbours are capable of, but now the rest of the country knows, too.
Contents
Copyright
Praise for Tamora Pierce
Dedication
Map
Mid-March, Corus, the capital of Tortall; in the 21st year of the reign of Jonathan IV and Thayet, his Queen, 460 H.E. (Human Era)
Chapter 1: Storm Warnings
Chapter 2: Tobe
April 1–14, 460 near the Scanran border
Chapter 3: Long, Cold Road
Chapter 4: Kel Takes Command
April 15–23, 460 the refugee camp on the Greenwoods River
Chapter 5: Clerks
Chapter 6: Defence Plans
Chapter 7: Tirrsmont Refugees
Chapter 8: First Defence
April 30, 460 Fort Mastiff
Chapter 9: Mastiff
May 2–3, 460 Haven
Chapter 10: The Refugees Fight
May 6–June 3, 460 Haven and Fort Mastiff
Chapter 11: Shattered Sanctuary
June 4–7, 460 Haven and Fort Mastiff
Chapter 12: Renegade
Chapter 13: Friends
Chapter 14: Vassa Crossing
June 8, 460 Scanra, between the Vassa and Smiskir Rivers
Chapter 15: Enemy Territory
June 9–10, 460 the Pakkai road
Chapter 16: Opportunities
June 10–11, 460 Blayce’s Castle
Chapter 17: The Gallan’s Lair
Chapter 18: Blayce
September 10, 460
Epilogue
Cast of Characters
Glossary
Notes and Acknowledgments
Read on for a Preview of Tempests and Slaughter
Also by Tamora Pierce
About the Publisher
Keladry of Mindelan lay with the comfortable black blanket of sleep wrapped around her. Then, against the blackness, light moved and strengthened to show twelve large, vaguely rat- or insectlike metal creatures, devices built for murder. The killing devices were magical machines made of iron-coated giants’ bones, chains, pulleys, dagger-fingers and -toes, and a long, whiplike tail. The seven-foot-tall devices stood motionless in a half circle as the light revealed what lay at their feet: a pile of dead children.
With the devices and the bodies visible, the light spread to find the man who seemed to be the master of the creations. To Keladry of Mindelan, known as Kel, he was the Nothing Man. He was almost two feet shorter than the killing devices, long-nosed and narrow-mouthed, with small, rapidly blinking eyes and dull brown hair. His dark robe was marked with stains and burns; his hair was unkempt. He always gnawed a fingernail, or scratched a pimple, or shifted from foot to foot.
