Daniel Abraham - University of Texas at Arlington PDF
Preview Daniel Abraham - University of Texas at Arlington
A SHADOW IN SUMMER >+< Book One of the Long Price Quartet >+< Daniel Abraham A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK NEW YORK This is a work offiction. All ofthe characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products ofthe author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. A SHADOW IN SUMMER: BOOK ONE OF THE LONG PRICE QUARTET Copyright © 2006 by Daniel Abraham All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. Edited by James Frenkel Maps by Jackie Aher A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 www.tor.com Tor®is a registered trademark ofTom Doherty Associates, LLC. Cover art by Stephane Martiniere 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Fred Saberhagen, the first ofmy many teachers ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Romantic visions aside, writing is not something often done in isolation. I would like to thank everyone whose input made this book better than I could have done alone. Espe- cially Walter Jon Williams, Melinda Snodgrass, Steve and Jan Stirling, Terry England, John Miller, Sally Gwylan, Yvonne Coats, Emily Mah, Sage Walker, Victor Milan, George R.R. Martin, and all the various members of the New Mexico Critical Mass Workshop. Thanks are also due to Shawna McCarthy for her faith in the project, and Jim Frenkel for his hard work and kind at- tentions to a first-time novelist. But I am especially grateful to Connie Willis, who gave me my first advice on the book, Tom Doherty, who gave me my last, and Katherine Abraham, without whom it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun in between. Nippu Quian A SHADOW IN SUMMER Prolog Otah took the blow on the ear, the flesh opening un- >+< der the rod. Tahi-kvo, Tahi the teacher, pulled the thin lacquered wood through the air with a fluttering sound like bird wings. Otah’s discipline held. He did not shift or cry out. Tears welled in his eyes, but his hands remained in a pose ofgreeting. “Again,” Tahi-kvo barked. “And correctly!” “We are honored by your presence, most high Dai-kvo,” Otah said sweetly, as if it were the first time he had at- tempted the ritual phrase. The old man sitting before the fire considered him closely, then adopted a pose ofacceptance. Tahi-kvo made a sound of satisfaction in the depths of his throat. Otah bowed, holding still for three breaths and hoping that Tahi-kvo wouldn’t strike him for trembling. The moment stretched, and Otah nearly let his eyes stray to his teacher. It was the old man with his ruined whisper who at last spoke the words that ended the ritual and released him. “Go, disowned child, and attend to your studies.” Otah turned and walked humbly out ofthe room. Once he had pulled the thick wooden door closed behind him and walked down the chill hallway toward the common rooms, he gave himselfpermission to touch his new wound. The other boys were quiet as he passed through the stone halls of the school, but several times their gazes held him and his new shame. Only the older boys in the black robes of
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