BooksBarbecue
Back Harrow the Ninth Save as PDF

Harrow the Ninth

Tamsyn Muir
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. DRAMATIS PERSONAE
  5. Prologue
  6. PARODOS
  7. ACT ONE
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. ACT TWO
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. ACT THREE
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. ACT FOUR
  42. 32
  43. 33
  44. 34
  45. 35
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. EPIPARODOS
  51. ACT FIVE
  52. 40
  53. 41
  54. 42
  55. 43
  56. 44
  57. 45
  58. 46
  59. 47
  60. 48
  61. 49
  62. 50
  63. 51
  64. 52
  65. 53
  66. EPILOGUE
  67. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  68. The Locked Tomb Trilogy
  69. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  70. Newsletter Sign-up

Title Page

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Copyright Notice

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

Dedication

for Isa Yap, who understood Harrow too well, and without whom so much of me would not have happened

and

for pT
♦

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The Emperor of the Nine Houses

“A.L.”, his guardian

Augustine the First

Alfred Quinque, his cavalier

FIRST SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Mercymorn the First

Cristabel Oct, her cavalier

SECOND SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

ORTUS the First

Pyrrha Dve, his cavalier

THIRD SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Cassiopeia the First

Nigella Shodash, her cavalier

FOURTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Cyrus the First

Valancy Trinit, his cavalier

FIFTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Ulysses the First

Titania Tetra, his cavalier

SIXTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Cytherea the First

Loveday Heptane, her cavalier

SEVENTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Anastasia the First

Samael Novenary, her cavalier

Ianthe the First

Naberius Tern, her cavalier

EIGHTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

Harrowhark the First

NINTH SAINT TO SERVE THE KING UNDYING

One for the Emperor, first of us all;

One for his Lyctors, who answered the call;

One for his Saints, who were chosen of old;

One for his Hands, and the swords that they hold.

Two is for discipline, heedless of trial;

Three for the gleam of a jewel or a smile;

Four for fidelity, facing ahead;

Five for tradition and debts to the dead;

Six for the truth over solace in lies;

Seven for beauty that blossoms and dies;

Eight for salvation no matter the cost;

Nine for the Tomb, and for all that was lost.

Prologue

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EMPEROR’S MURDER

YOUR ROOM HAD LONG AGO plunged into near-complete darkness, leaving no distraction from the great rocking thump—thump—thump of body after body flinging itself onto the great mass already coating the hull. There was nothing to see—the shutters were down—but you could feel the terrible vibration, hear the groan of chitin on metal, the cataclysmic rending of steel by fungous claw.

It was very cold. A fine shimmer of frost now coated your cheeks, your hair, your eyelashes. In that smothering dark, your breath emerged as wisps of wet grey smoke. Sometimes you screamed a little, which no longer embarrassed you. You understood your body’s reaction to the proximity. Screaming was the least of what might happen.

God’s voice came very calmly over the comm: