Daniel Abraham - University of Texas at Arlington

372 Pages·2008·1.34 MB·English

A
SHADOW
IN
SUMMER
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Book One
of the
Long Price Quartet
>+<
Daniel Abraham
A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK
NEW YORK
This is a work offiction. All ofthe characters, organizations, and events
portrayed in this novel are either products ofthe author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously.
A SHADOW IN SUMMER: BOOK ONE OF THE LONG PRICE
QUARTET
Copyright © 2006 by Daniel Abraham
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions
thereof, in any form.
Edited by James Frenkel
Maps by Jackie Aher
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor.com
Tor®is a registered trademark ofTom Doherty Associates, LLC.
Cover art by Stephane Martiniere
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Fred Saberhagen,
the first ofmy many teachers
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Romantic visions aside, writing is not something often done
in isolation. I would like to thank everyone whose input
made this book better than I could have done alone. Espe-
cially Walter Jon Williams, Melinda Snodgrass, Steve and
Jan Stirling, Terry England, John Miller, Sally Gwylan,
Yvonne Coats, Emily Mah, Sage Walker, Victor Milan,
George R.R. Martin, and all the various members of the
New Mexico Critical Mass Workshop.
Thanks are also due to Shawna McCarthy for her faith in
the project, and Jim Frenkel for his hard work and kind at-
tentions to a first-time novelist.
But I am especially grateful to Connie Willis, who gave
me my first advice on the book, Tom Doherty, who gave me
my last, and Katherine Abraham, without whom it wouldn’t
have been anywhere near as fun in between.

Nippu
Quian

A
SHADOW
IN
SUMMER
Prolog
Otah took the blow on the ear, the flesh opening un-
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der the rod. Tahi-kvo, Tahi the teacher, pulled the thin
lacquered wood through the air with a fluttering sound like
bird wings. Otah’s discipline held. He did not shift or cry
out. Tears welled in his eyes, but his hands remained in a
pose ofgreeting.
“Again,” Tahi-kvo barked. “And correctly!”
“We are honored by your presence, most high Dai-kvo,”
Otah said sweetly, as if it were the first time he had at-
tempted the ritual phrase. The old man sitting before the fire
considered him closely, then adopted a pose ofacceptance.
Tahi-kvo made a sound of satisfaction in the depths of his
throat.
Otah bowed, holding still for three breaths and hoping that
Tahi-kvo wouldn’t strike him for trembling. The moment
stretched, and Otah nearly let his eyes stray to his teacher. It
was the old man with his ruined whisper who at last spoke
the words that ended the ritual and released him.
“Go, disowned child, and attend to your studies.”
Otah turned and walked humbly out ofthe room. Once he
had pulled the thick wooden door closed behind him and
walked down the chill hallway toward the common rooms,
he gave himselfpermission to touch his new wound.
The other boys were quiet as he passed through the stone
halls of the school, but several times their gazes held him
and his new shame. Only the older boys in the black robes of