The Twisted Citadel DarkGlass Mountain: Book Two Sara Douglass
Contents:
Prologue
Ancient Coroleas
Part One
Chapter One
The Sky Peaks Pass, and DarkGlass Mountain, Isembaard
Chapter Two
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Three
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Four
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Five
The River Lhyl, North of Aqhat, Isembaard
Chapter Six
The FarReach Mountains and DarkGlass Mountain, Isembaard
Chapter Seven
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Eight
The Northern Borders of the FarReach Mountains, and the Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Nine
The Infinity Chamber, DarkGlass Mountain
Chapter Ten
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Eleven
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Twelve
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Thirteen
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Fourteen
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Fifteen
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Sixteen
The Plains of the Central Outlands
Chapter Seventeen
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Eighteen
The Sky Peaks Pass
Part Two
Chapter One
DarkGlass Mountain
Chapter Two
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Three
The River Lhyl, North of Azibar, Isembaard
Chapter Four
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Five
The River Lhyl, North of Azibar, Isembaard
Chapter Six
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Seven
The Sky Peaks Pass
Chapter Eight
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Nine
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Ten
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eleven
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twelve
The Salamaan Pass
Chapter Thirteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Fourteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Fifteen
Isembaard
Chapter Sixteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Seventeen
Isembaard
Chapter Eighteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Nineteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twenty
Outside Margalit, the Outlands
Chapter Twenty-One
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twenty-Two
Isembaard
Chapter Twenty-Three
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twenty-Four
Isembaard
Part Three
Chapter One
The Central Outlands
Chapter Two
Isembaard, and the Outlands
Chapter Three
Isembaard, and the Outlands
Chapter Four
The Central Outlands
Chapter Five
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Six
Isembaard
Chapter Seven
The Central Outlands
Chapter Eight
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Nine
The Central Outlands
Chapter Ten
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eleven
The Central Outlands
Chapter Twelve
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Thirteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Fourteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Fifteen
Inside the Twisted Tower
Chapter Sixteen
The Outlands
Chapter Seventeen
The Central Outlands, and Isembaard
Chapter Eighteen
The Central Outlands and Isembaard
Chapter Nineteen
The Central Outlands
Chapter Twenty
Armat’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Chapter Twenty-One
Armat’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Chapter Twenty-Two
Armat’s Camp, and Maximilian’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Chapter Twenty-Three
Armat’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Chapter Twenty-Four
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isembaard
Chapter Twenty-Six
The FarReach Mountains
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Armat’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Part Four
Chapter One
The Central Outlands
Chapter Two
Armat’s Camp, the Central Outlands
Chapter Three
The Central Outlands
Chapter Four
Isembaard
Chapter Five
Isembaard
Chapter Six
Isembaard
Chapter Seven
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eight
Hairekeep, Isembaard
Chapter Nine
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Ten
Isembaard
Chapter Eleven
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twelve
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Thirteen
Hairekeep, Isembaard
Chapter Fourteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Fifteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Sixteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Seventeen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eighteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Nineteen
On the Road to Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twenty
The Salamaan Pass
Part Five
Chapter One
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Two
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Three
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Four
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Five
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Six
Salamaan Pass, and Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Seven
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eight
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Nine
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Ten
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Eleven
Serpent’s Nest
Chapter Twelve
Elcho Falling
Chapter Thirteen
Elcho Falling
Chapter Fourteen
Elcho Falling
Chapter Fifteen
Elcho Falling
Part Six
Chapter One
Elcho Falling
Chapter Two
Elcho Falling
Chapter Three
Land of Dreams and Elcho Falling
Chapter Four
Elcho Falling
Chapter Five
Armat’s Encampment
Chapter Six
Elcho Falling
Epilogue
Glossary
THE LANDS BEYOND TENCENDOR
PROLOGUE
Ancient Coroleas
The blade of the knife slid under the skin of his thigh, passing between skin and flesh
sweetly and with exquisite gentleness, the heat of the blade cauterizing myriad tiny blood vessels. Every now and then the God Priest who wielded the knife paused, twisting his hand so
that the skin lifted away a little from the underlying tissues.
Josia kept his eyes closed. The pain was bearable, just, but only if he did not allow
himself to contemplate what the God Priest might do once he had completed making the long
rents in Josia”s thighs.
Or only if he did not allow himself to hear the gasps of anticipation among the crowd of
hundreds within the packed chamber, or the smacking of their lips.
Josia lay as still as he might, his eyes tightly closed, ignoring the sounds about him,
trying to keep his mind calm, and yet still he could not stop the tears sliding down his cheeks.
It had not been his choice to die in this manner.
The God Priest paused, contemplating the trembling and blood-streaked young man
strapped naked to the top of the altar. The priest”s mouth pursed in contemplation, then, decision
made, he handed the knife back to his assistant, nodding at the query in the man”s eyes.
Then he looked back to Josia.
The man was an extraordinary gift. Never before had anyone of such ability, of such
family, been gifted to the God Priests. His soul would make a remarkable deity, and would sell
for such a sum…
The God Priest licked his lips, anticipating the gold that would be his by day”s end.
But first the young man had to die, and as badly as the God Priest could devise.
His assistant returned to the God Priest”s side, and very carefully handed to his master the
little pot of molten lead.
The God Priest bent down to Josia, the glow of the molten metal reflecting the avarice in
the priest”s eyes.
The assistant leaned forward, knife in hand, and lifted up the flap of skin on the nearest
cut.
Josia smelled the metal, felt its warmth, felt the skin lift away from one of the cuts, and
screamed.
He could not stop himself. He screamed and screamed, the breath wrenching in and out
of his lungs, his body convulsing so badly he would have slid from the altar had not he been held
tight with straps.
The God Priest poured the molten metal into the cut, taking great care now that the
offering twitched so horribly, and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell that rose from Josia”s
burning flesh.
Then he moved to the next cut, pausing only so his assistant could refill the little pot of
molten lead.
Josia escaped to the Twisted Tower. He ran down the path toward the corkscrew fortress,
automatically counting out the eighty-six steps, and thudded against the wooden door, his hand
closing about the doorknob.
He did not open it. He could, he knew he could, for the Twisted Tower would not prevent
him entry, but if he entered while the Corolean God Priest was torturing him, then he might corrupt the tower and all its contents.
He huddled against the door, sobbing, wretched beyond imagining.
If he entered, then he would be safe, but he would corrupt the tower.
If he stayed outside then eventually the God Priest would have him, and his soul would
be tortured into one of the Coroleans” cursed bronze deities.
Josia knew what he had to do.
He leaned his forehead against the door, trying to bring his weeping under control.
Inside the tower, his father and brother looked at each other, then both turned their backs
on the door, closing their ears and hearts to the sound of Josia”s horror.
The God Priest sighed.
After eight hours of the most exquisite of tortures, the offering was now in a wretched
state. Both his life and his sanity hung by a very thin thread.
It would not be long.
As tired as he was, the God Priest managed a smile and a nod to the assembled mass of
the Corolean First. He had saved the very best for last.
Once more he nodded to his assistant who brought forth a large gray rat, caged in a
wickerwork basket. The God Priest lifted out the rat carefully—the very last thing he needed was
a nip from the creature”s sharp teeth—and held it down on Josia”s belly while his assistant
fetched a large copper bowl which had leather straps hanging from its rim. With both careful
maneuvering and timing, the God Priest and his assistant trapped the rat under the upturned
bowl, then strapped the bowl tightly to Josia”s belly.
The crowd breathed in, almost as one, and every single man and woman of them leaned