The Serpent Bride DarkGlass Mountain Book 1 Sara Douglass
Contents:
The Legend of Chaos (Kanubai)
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Margalit, the Outlands
CHAPTER TWO
Serpent”s Nest, the Outlands
CHAPTER THREE
Serpent”s Nest, the Outlands
CHAPTER FOUR
Serpent”s Nest, the Outlands
CHAPTER FIVE
The Royal Palace, Ruen, Escator
CHAPTER SIX
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Royal Palace, Ruen, Escator
CHAPTER EIGHT
Serpent”s Nest, and the Palace at Ruen
PART TWO
CHAPTER ONE
Lake Juit, the Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER TWO
Baron Lixel”s Residence, Margalit
CHAPTER THREE
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER FOUR
Baron Lixel”s Residence, Margalit
CHAPTER FIVE
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER SIX
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Royal Palace, Ruen, Escator
CHAPTER EIGHT
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER NINE
The Road East, Escator
CHAPTER TEN
Hairekeep, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER TWELVE
West of Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
PART THREE
CHAPTER ONE
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER TWO
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER THREE
Margalit, the Outlands
CHAPTER FOUR
DarkGlass Mountain, the Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER FIVE
Pelemere, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER SIX
Pelemere, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER SEVEN
Margalit, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER EIGHT
Pelemere, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER NINE
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER TEN
Pelemere, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER TWELVE
Pelemere, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
PART FOUR
CHAPTER ONE
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER TWO
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER THREE
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER FOUR
Pelemere, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER FIVE
The Road from Pelemere to Kyros, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER SIX
Kyros, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kyros, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Road from Kyros to Escator, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER NINE
The Road from Kyros to Escator, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER TEN
The Road from Kyros to Escator, the Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Road from Kyros to Deepend, Central Kingdoms
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aqhat and Crowhurst
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Road from Kyros to Escator, the Central Kingdoms
PART FIVE
CHAPTER ONE
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER TWO
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER THREE
FarReach Mountains, and the Northern Reaches of the Ashdod Dependency
CHAPTER FOUR
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER FIVE
The FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER SIX
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Southern Reaches of the FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Southern Reaches of the FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER NINE
The Town of Torinox, the Northern Borders of the FarReach Dependency
CHAPTER TEN
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Town of Torinox, the Northern Borders of the FarReach Dependency
CHAPTER TWELVE
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Royal Palace, Ruen, Escator
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Royal Palace, Ruen, Escator
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
PART SIX
CHAPTER ONE
Northern Plains of Isembaard
CHAPTER TWO
Palace of the First, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER THREE
Northern Plains of Isembaard
CHAPTER FOUR
The Courtyard of the People, Yoyette, Coroleas
CHAPTER FIVE
The Widowmaker Sea, to the West of Escator
CHAPTER SIX
The River Lhyl, the Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Widowmaker Sea, to the West of Escator
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Marshlands Outside Narbon, Escator
CHAPTER NINE
Crowhurst, the Far North
CHAPTER TEN
Venetia”s Hut in the Marshlands, Escator
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Road Between Narbon and Deepend
CHAPTER TWELVE
Narbon, Escator
PART SEVEN
CHAPTER ONE
Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER TWO
Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER THREE
Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER FOUR
Deepend, and the Road from Deepend to the FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER FIVE
At the Foot of the FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER SIX
Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER NINE
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER TEN
Northern Isembaard
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The FarReach Mountains, Southern Kyros
CHAPTER TWELVE
The FarReach Mountains, Southern Kyros
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The FarReach Mountains, Southern Kyros
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The FarReach Mountains, Southern Kyros
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER TWELVE
DarkGlass Mountain, Isembaard
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Palace of Aqhat, Isembaard
PART EIGHT
CHAPTER ONE
The FarReach Mountains
CHAPTER TWO
The Palace of Aqhat, Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER THREE
The Eastern Plains, Gershadi
CHAPTER FOUR
The Dependency of En-Dor, the Tyranny of Isembaard
CHAPTER FIVE
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER SIX
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER NINE
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER TEN
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Borderlands of Hosea
PART NINE
CHAPTER ONE
Sakkuth, Isembaard
CHAPTER TWO
Salamaan Pass, Northern Kingdoms
CHAPTER THREE
Salamaan Pass, Northern Kingdoms
CHAPTER FOUR
Salamaan Pass, Northern Kingdoms
CHAPTER FIVE
Pelemere, the Northern Kingdoms
CHAPTER SIX
The Sky Peak Passes
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Sky Peak Passes
CHAPTER EIGHT
Entrance to the Sky Peak Passes, the Outlands
CHAPTER NINE
Entrance to the Sky Peak Pass, the Outlands
CHAPTER TEN
Entrance to the Sky Peak Passes, the Outlands
The Lands Beyond Tencendor
The Legend of Chaos (Kanubai)
In the beginning and for an infinity of time there was nothing but the darkness of Chaos,
who called himself Kanubai. After a time Kanubai grew weary of his lonely existence and so he
invited Light and Water to be his companions. Kanubai and Light and Water coexisted
harmoniously, but one day Light and Water merged, just for an instant of time, but in that instant
they conceived a child—Life.
Kanubai was jealous of Life, for it was the child of the union of Light and Water and he
had been excluded from that union. He set out to murder Life, to consume it with darkness, but
Light and Water came to the defense of their child. Aided by a great mage, Light and Water
defeated Kanubai in a terrible battle, and interred his remains in a deep abyss. They stoppered
this abyss with a sparkling, life-giving river, which combined the best both of Light and of
Water, and they hoped that Kanubai was trapped for all time.
Trapped, but not extinguished. Every day Life was reminded of Kanubai”s continuing
malignant presence by the descent of the night, when for the space of some hours the dark
memory of Kanubai blanketed the land.
Despite this daily sadness, Life prospered, and many creatures came into existence.
For eons Kanubai lay trapped, able to do little more than darken each light-filled day with
the reminder of his presence.
But then, one day, something remarkable happened.
Infinity visited.
[ Part One ]
CHAPTER ONE
Margalit, the Outlands
The eight-year-old girl crouched by the stone column in the atrium of her parents”
house. Clad only in a stained linen shift, she hugged her thin arms tightly about herself, her eyes
wide and darting under her bedraggled and grimy fair hair.
The house was cold and still, and the girl”s breath frosted as she hyperventilated.
The foul liquid of rotting cadavers streaked her face and arms. For many days now the
girl had crept about the house, seeking out the bodies of her parents (almost unrecognizable, four
weeks after their death), rubbing the stinking, viscous liquid that had leaked from their flesh over
her body, sucking it from her fingers.
All she wanted was to die, too.
It had been a bad month. Four weeks ago everyone in the house—save the little girl—had
died within a day of the first person falling sick. Thirty-four people—not just the girl”s parents
and siblings, but her three aunts, their husbands, their children, her grandmother, and the
household”s servants as well—all dead from the plague.
Just her, left alive.
Outside gathered a frightened and angry crowd, neighbors as well as sundry other
concerned citizens and council members of Margalit. They had blocked off all entrances to the
house as soon as they realized plague had struck the household.
In the initial days after everyone had died, the girl, Ishbel, screamed at the crowd outside
for help, begging them to save her. She pressed her face against the glass of the windows and
beat her small fists against the frames, but the hostile expressions on the faces of the crowd
outside did not alter.
They would not move to aid her.
Instead, Ishbel heard cries demanding that the house be set alight, and all the corpses and
their infection burned.
She screamed at them again, begging them to allow her freedom.
She wasn”t ill.
She didn”t have the plague.
Her skin was unmarked, her brow unfevered.
“Please, please, let me out. Everyone is dead. I want to get out. Please…please…”
The crowd outside had no mercy. They would not let her escape.
Ishbel begged until she lost her voice and scraped away several of her fingernails on the