Table of Contents
chapter one
chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
chapter five
chapter six
chapter seven
chapter eight
chapter nine
chapter ten
chapter eleven
chapter twelve
chapter thirteen
chapter fourteen
chapter fifteen
ALSO BY JULIET MARILLIER
THE SEVENWATERS NOVELS
SAGA OF THE LIGHT ISLES
THE BRIDEI CHRONICLES
FOR YOUNG ADULTS
ROC
Published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
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Published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Previously published in a Macmillan Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd. edition.
First Roc Printing, November 2009
Copyright © Juliet Marillier, 2009
Calligraphy by Gaye Godfrey-Nicholls of Inklings Calligraphy Studio
All rights reserved
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Marillier, Juliet.
Heart’s blood/Juliet Marillier.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-101-14924-9
I.Title
PR9619.3.M26755H43 2009
823.‘.92—dc22 2009022217
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Acknowledgments
Gaye Godfrey-Nicholls of Inklings Calligraphy Studio provided expert guidance on all aspects of scribing. John Aris helped me with the Latin invocation. The members of my writers’ group assisted me through this book’s bumpy road to completion, sharing practical advice, moral support and strong coffee. My multiskilled family helped with everything from brainstorming to proofreading. My editors, Anne Sowards at Penguin, Julie Crisp at Tor UK, and Mary Verney at Pan Macmillan Australia, worked cooperatively to produce a single editorial report, making my life much easier. My agent, Russell Galen, continued to provide excellent support. A big thank you to all.
at a place where two tracks met, the carter brought his horse to a sudden halt.
“This is where you get down,” he said.
Dusk was falling, and mist was closing in over a landscape curiously devoid of features. Apart from low clumps of grass, all I could see nearby was an ancient marker stone whose inscription was obscured by a coat of creeping mosses. Every part of me ached with weariness.“This is not even a settlement!” I protested. “It’s—it’s nowhere!”
