Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor #1)
Mark Lawrence
Author’s Note
Rather than place this background information in an appendix at the back where you might not notice it until you’ve finished the book (I’ve done that before) I’m putting it here at the front. However, it is best to skip it and return only if you find you need it. All the information here is given to you in the text and unfolds naturally with the story.
The people of Abeth descend from four ‘tribes’. These tribes were: Gerant – distinguished by their great size Hunska – distinguished by their speed. A dark-haired, dark-eyed people Marjal – distinguished by their ability to tap into the lesser magics Quantal – distinguished by their ability to walk the Path and work greater magics The great families of empire adopt the suffix -sis when the head of the family is named a lord by the emperor. The emperor’s own family are the Lansis. Other families of note include the Tacsis, Jotsis, Memsis, Galamsis, Leensis, Gersis, Rolsis, and Chemsis.
In the Convent of Sweet Mercy novices move through four classes on their way to taking holy orders. A novice must graduate from each class. The classes are named after the four orders of nun: Red Class – typical novice age 9-12
Grey Class – typical novice age 13-14
Mystic Class – typical novice age 15-16
Holy Class – typical novice age 17-19
On taking holy orders novices become nuns. They follow one of the following paths: Bride of the Ancestor (Holy Sister) – a nun concerned with honouring the Ancestor and maintaining the faith. The most common calling Martial Sister (Red Sister) – a nun skilled in armed and unarmed combat, usually showing hunska blood Sister of Discretion (Grey Sister) – a nun skilled in espionage, stealth, and poisons. Often showing marjal blood and a talent for shadow-work Mystic Sister (Holy Witch) – a nun able to walk the Path and manipulate threads. Always showing quantal blood
Dramatis Personae
Nuns (in order of superiority) Glass: Abbess of Sweet Mercy Convent, also known as Shella Yammal Rose: Sister Superior, Holy Sister, runs the sanatorium Wheel: Sister Superior, Mistress Spirit, Holy Sister, teaches Spirit classes Apple: Mistress Shade, Grey Sister, also known as the Poisoner, teaches Shade classes Pan: Mistress Path, Holy Witch, teaches Path classes Rule: Mistress Academia, Holy Sister, teaches Academia classes Tallow: Mistress Blade, Red Sister, teaches Blade classes Chrysanthemum: Holy Sister, mostly known as Sister Mop Flint: Red Sister, Grey Class mistress
Kettle: Grey Sister
Oak: Holy Sister, Red Class mistress
Rock: Red Sister
Novices
Alata: junior novice
Arabella Jotsis: junior novice, quantal and hunska blood Clera Ghomal: junior novice, Nona’s friend, hunska blood Croy: junior novice
Darla: junior novice, gerant blood
Ghena: junior novice, hunska blood
Hessa: junior novice, Nona’s friend from Giljohn’s cage, quantal blood Jula: junior novice, Nona’s friend, studious Kariss: junior novice
Katcha: junior novice
Ketti: junior novice, hunska blood
Leeni: junior novice
Mally: junior novice, Grey Class head-girl Ruli: Nona’s friend, marjal blood
Sarma: junior novice
Sharlot: junior novice
Sheelar: junior novice
Suleri: senior novice
Others
Emperor Crucical: his palace is in the city of Verity Sherzal: the emperor’s sister. Her palace is close to the Scithrowl border Velera: the emperor’s sister. Her palace is on the coast High Priest Jacob: head of the Church of the Ancestor Archon Nevis: high-ranking priest
Archon Anasta: high-ranking priestess
Archon Philo: high-ranking priest
Archon Kratton: high-ranking priest
Thuran Tacsis: lord, head of the Tacsis family Raymel Tacsis: heir to Thuran Tacsis, Caltess ring-fighter, gerant blood Lano Tacsis: Thuran Tacsis’s second son, hunska blood Academic Rexxus Degon: senior Academy man Markus: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood Saida: child from Giljohn’s cage, gerant blood Willum: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood Chara: child from Giljohn’s cage, marjal blood Partnis Reeve: owner of the Caltess fight-hall Gretcha: Caltess ring-fighter, gerant blood Maya: Caltess apprentice, gerant blood
Regol: Caltess trainee, hunska blood
Denam: Caltess trainee, gerant blood
Tarkax: known as ‘the Ice-Spear’, renowned warrior from the ice-tribes Yisht: warrior from the ice tribes, serves Sherzal Zole: girl from the ice tribes, Sherzal’s ward Irvone Galamsis: high court judge
Sister Owl: legendary Red Sister (dead)
Sister Cloud: legendary Red Sister (dead) Safira: former senior novice, works for Sherzal Malkin: Abbess Glass’s cat
Argus: prison guard at Harriton
Dava: prison guard at Harriton
John Fallon: prison guard at Harriton
Herber: graveman
Jame Lender: prisoner executed at Harriton
Red Class
Prologue
It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.
From the front of the convent you can see both the northern ice and the southern, but the finer view is out across the plateau and over the narrow lands. On a clear day the coast may be glimpsed, the Sea of Marn a suggestion in blue.
At some point in an achingly long history a people, now lost to knowledge, had built one thousand and twenty-four pillars out on the plateau: Corinthian giants thicker than a thousand-year oak, taller than a long-pine. A forest of stone without order or pattern, covering the level ground from flank to flank so that no spot upon it lay more than twenty yards from a pillar. Sister Thorn waited amid this forest, alone and seeking her centre.
Lano’s men began to spread out between the columns. Thorn could neither see nor hear her foe approach, but she knew their disposition. She had watched earlier as they snaked up the west trail from Styx Valley, three and four abreast: Pelarthi mercenaries from the ice-margins, furs of the white bear and the snow-wolf over their leathers, some with scraps of chainmail about them, ancient and dark or bright as new, depending on their luck. Many carried spears, some swords; one man in five carried a short-bow of recurved horn. Tall men in the main, fair-haired, their beards short or plaited, the women with lines of blue paint across their cheeks and foreheads like the rays of a cold sun.
Here’s a moment.
All the world and more has rushed eternity’s length to reach this beat of your heart, screaming down the years. And if you let it, the universe, without drawing breath, will press itself through this fractured second and race to the next, on into a new eternity. Everything that is, the echoes of everything that ever was, the roots of all that will ever be, must pass through this moment that you own. Your only task is to give it pause – to make it notice.
Thorn stood without motion, for only when you are truly still can you be the centre. She stood without sound, for only silent can you listen. She stood without fear, for only the fearless can understand their peril.