The Lions of Al-Rassan
Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, a deeply compelling story of love, adventure, divided loyalties, and what happens when beliefs begin to remake – or destroy – a world.The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan – poet, diplomat, soldier – until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated – and feared – military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve – for a time – the same master. Tangled in their interwoven fate – and divided by her feelings – is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose skills may not be enough to heal the coming pain as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.
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Guy Gavriel Kay
The Lions of Al-Rassan
Copyright
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.
HarperVoyager
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1995
THE LIONS OF AL-RASSAN. Copyright © Guy Gavriel Kay 1995
Guy Gavriel Kay asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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 ebooks
HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication
Source ISBN: 9780007342068
Ebook Edition © AUGUST 2011 ISBN: 9780007352227
Version: 2016-11-18
Dedication
For Harry Karlinsky and Mayer Hoffer,
after thirty-five years
Epigraph
The evening is deep inside me forever.
Many a blond, northern moonrise,
Like a muted reflection, will softly
remind me and remind me again and again.
It will be my bride, my alter ego.
An incentive to find myself. I myself
am the moonrise of the south.
—PAUL KLEE, THE TUNISIAN DIARIES
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Principal Characters
Map
Prologue
It was just past midday, not long before the third…
Part One
Chapter I
Always remember that they come from the desert.
Chapter II
After somehow coping with the disastrous incident at the very…
Chapter III
From within Husari ibn Musa’s chamber late in the afternoon…
Chapter IV
The small-farmers of Orvilla, twelve of them, had come to…
Part Two
Chapter V
“There’s trouble coming,” said Diego, as he ran past the…
Chapter VI
Esteren was a catastrophe of carpenters, masons, bricklayers and laborers.
Part Three
Chapter VII
“Well then,” said Almalik of Cartada, the Lion of Al-Rassan,…
Chapter VIII
Ivories and throngs of people, these were the predominant images…
Chapter IX
The wind was north. Yazir could taste salt in the…
Part Four
Chapter X
Nino di Carrera, young, handsome and adept, the most favored…
Chapter XI
“Where’s Papa now?”
Chapter XII
Towards the end of winter, when the first wildflowers were…
Chapter XIII
“Were you pleased?” the king of Ragosa asked his chancellor,…
Chapter XIV
In fact, it was the cat that found Alvar, late…
Part Five
Chapter XV
The governor of Fezana was a watchful and a cautious…
Chapter XVI
Until the very moment, under the stars and the white…
Chapter XVII
After holding a steady torch over Diego Belmonte in the…
Chapter XVIII
In a reaction to the protracted siege of his city,…
Epilogue
The rapid resettlement of the Kindath community of Sorenica in…
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books by Guy Gavriel Kay
About the Publisher
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
In Al-Rassan
(All these are Asharite, worshippers of the stars of Ashar, except where noted)
King Almalik of Cartada (“The Lion of Cartada”)
Almalik, his eldest son and heir
Hazem, his second son
Zabira, his favored courtesan
Ammar ibn Khairan of Aljais, his principal advisor, guardian of the king’s heir
King Badir of Ragosa
Mazur ben Avren, his chancellor, of the Kindath faith
Tarif ibn Hassan of Arbastro, an outlaw
Husari ibn Musa of Fezana, a silk merchant
Jehane bet Ishak, a physician in Fezana, of the Kindath faith
Ishak ben Yonannon, her father
Eliane bet Danel, her mother
Velaz, their servant
In the Three Kingdoms of Esperaña
(All these are Jaddites, worshippers of the sun-god, Jad)
King Sancho the Fat of Esperaña, now deceased
King Raimundo of Valledo, Sancho’s eldest son, now deceased
In the Kingdom of Valledo (royal city: Esteren)
King Ramiro, son to Sancho the Fat
Queen Ines, his wife, daughter of the king of Ferrieres
Count Gonzalez de Rada, constable of Valledo
Garcia de Rada, his brother
Rodrigo Belmonte (“The Captain”), soldier and rancher, once constable of Valledo
Miranda Belmonte d’Alveda, his wife
Ibero, a cleric, tutor to the sons of Rodrigo Belmonte
In the Kingdom of Jaloña
King Bermudo, brother to Sancho the Fat
Queen Fruela, his wife
Count Nino di Carrera, the king’s (and the queen’s) most-favored courtier
In the Kingdom of Ruenda
King Sanchez, youngest son of Sancho the Fat, brother to Ramiro of Valledo
Queen Bearte, his wife
In the Majriti Desert
(Across the southern straits; home of the Muwardi tribes)
