RAYMOND E. FEIST
Prince of The Blood
Book One of Krondor’s Sons
HarperVoyager An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published HarperCollins Science Fiction & Fantasy 1990
Copyright © Raymond E. Feist 1990, 2008
Cover Illustration © Nik Keevil
Raymond E. Feist 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
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Source ISBN: 9780007176168
Ebook Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780007385355
Version: 2019–01–15
This book is dedicated
with love to my wife
Kathlyn Starbuck
who makes everything make sense
Table of Contents
THE INN WAS QUIET.
Walls darkened by years of fireplace soot drank in the lantern light, reflecting dim illumination. The dying fire in the hearth offered scant warmth and, from the demeanour of those who chose to sit before it, less cheer. In contrast to the mood of most establishments of its ilk, this inn was nearly sombre. In murky corners, men spoke in hushed tones, discussing things best not overheard by the uninvolved. A grunt of agreement to a whispered proposal, or a bitter laugh from a woman of negotiable virtue, were the only sounds to intrude upon the silence. The majority of the denizens of the inn, called The Sleeping Dockman, were closely watching the game.
The game was pokiir; common to the Empire of Great Kesh to the south and now replacing lin-lan and pashawa as the gambler’s choice in the inns and taverns of the Western Realm of the Kingdom. One player held his five cards before him, his eyes