Traitor’s Knot: Fourth Book of The Alliance of Light
The gripping penultimate instalment of The Alliance of Light.When half brothers Lysaer and Arithon defeated the Mistwraith its revenge left them cursed to lifelong enmity.Having conquered the maze and acheived self-redemption, Arithon, Master of Shadow, is now the guest of the formidable sorcerer, Davien the Betrayor. No one knows how his influence will affect Arithon’s recovered mage power, or his newly awakened rogue talent for prescience.Meanwhile Arithon’s relentless enemies will stop at nothing to acheive his downfall. The Koriani enchantresses are determined to make him their captive and their pawn. And as the Alliance of Light fanatics regroup after their defeat, the core of their priesthood now stands corrupted by a drak cabal who plot to enslave their leader, Lysaer, and use the Mistwraith’s curse as their own private weapon to break the world’s order.The sorcerers of the Fellowship compact are sorely beset and the clans are counting their ruinous losses. Arithon, who holds their last hope of survival, chooses the most dangerous course: heart and mind he dedicates himself to avoiding killing, though allies and enemies muster for war, single-mindedly blind to the consequences.
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Voyager
Janny Wurts
TRAITORâS KNOT
The Wars of Light and Shadow
VOLUME 7
FOURTH BOOK OF
THE ALLIANCE OF LIGHT
For Diane Turner,close friend, sister spirit -with profound gratitude for returningthe âtwo penny lectureâ at justexactly the right moment.
Contents
Fourth Book
Part I - Wayfarers
Chapter 3 - On Death and Banishment
Part II - Excision
Chapter 6 - By Land and by Sea
Part III - Citadel
Part IV - Refuge
Part V - Convolutions
Part VI - Counterploy
Part VII - Bind
Part VIII - Avenor
Part IX - Alland
Part X - Appeal
Part XI - Confrontations
Part XII - Halwythwood
Part XIII - Confluence
Part XIV - Sinkers and Hooks
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Books by Janny Wurts
Copyright
Third Age Year
5637âThe half-brothers Arithon sâFfalenn, Master of Shadow, and Lysaer sâIlessid, gifted with Light, exiled through West Gate, are met as they arrive on Athera by the Fellowship Sorcerer Asandir and Dakar, the Mad Prophet, whose West Gate Prophecy forecast the defeat of the Mistwraith, Desh-thiere, and return of the sunlight that had been lost to Athera for five hundred years.
Arithon meets his beloved, Elaira, who is under a life vow of service to the celibate order of the enchantresses of the Koriathain.
5638âThe Mistwraith is contained at Ithamon by Lysaer and Arithon and driven into captivity through their combined powers of light and shadow.
The Fellowship Sorcerersâ effort to crown Arithon as High King, and reinstate Rathainâs monarchy fails when the Mistwraith places the half-brothers under its curse: they will be enemies, bent upon each otherâs destruction until one or the other lies dead.
War follows. Lysaer, whose cardinal virtue is the sâIlessid gift of justice, leads a war host ten thousand strong from Etarra against Arithon, who is backed by the clansmen in Strakewood Forest. Lysaer and Etarra lose eight thousand men, and the clans suffer the Massacre at Tal Quorin, when Etarran headhunters destroy their women and children to draw the fighting men into the open. To spare his allies, Arithon is forced to use his mage talent to kill. And in the aftermath of this massive insult to his royal gift of compassion, he loses access to all facets of his trained mastery. Survivors of the debacle made possible by his sacrifice include fourteen young boys, named as Companions, and Earl Jieret, twelve years of age, who becomes Arithonâs âshadow behind the throneââor caithdein.
Lysaer returns to Etarra to begin the alliance of town forces against Arithon and court his beloved, Talith.
Arithon apprentices himself to the Masterbard, Halliron, and takes on the disguised persona of Medlir to deny his half-brother, and the directive of the curse, a fixed target.
5643âThe Fellowship Sorcerers reinstate crown rule in Havish, under High King Eldir. In redress for irresponsible conduct, Dakar the Mad Prophet is assigned to Arithonâs protection.
5644âDakar tries to escape his charge and links up with Halliron and âMedlirâ on the westshore, whereupon his scapegrace behavior with town authorities in Jaelot leads to Hallironâs death and Arithonâs breaking his disguise as Medlir, then achieving the title of Masterbard of Athera.
Arithon relocates down the southcoast, with Dakarâs escapades earning him the enmity of the powerful clan family of Duke Bransian sâBrydion of Alestron.
Elaira receives her longevity from the Koriani Order for the purpose of keeping track of Arithon, since the sisterhood considers him a danger.
Lysaer solidifies his alliance of town interests, rebuilds the ruined citadel at Avenor, marries Talith, and begins his manoeuvres to claim ancestral title to rulership of Tysan.
Against the climate of building war, Arithon founds a shipyard in the fishing village of Merior, where he constructs blue-water sailing vessels with intent to escape to sea. He meets and befriends two fatherless twin children, Fiark and Feylind. He encounters Elaira, under orders from her Prime to involve herself in Arithonâs affairs. Their affection deepens when a joint attempt to heal an injured fisherman creates an empathic link between them.
