Chapter ONE - Weebly

Stephen Leigh, Lynn Flewelling, Carrie Ryan, Joshua
Palmatier, and Patricia Bray, all of whom helped to
shape this book through e-mails, online exchanges, and
the occasional conversation over a beer.
Lucienne Diver, my agent, believed in Ethan and his
story from the start. Without her tireless work, her
editorial feedback, and her friendship, we might never
have found a home for the series. I would also like to
thank Deirdre Knight, Jia Giles, and the other great
people at the Knight Agency.
James Frenkel, my editor at Tor, was the first
person to suggest that Ethan might be better off living in
a historical setting rather than in an imaginary world.
With his encouragement, I rewrote Thieftaker, and the
rest is history. Or at least historical fantasy.
In addition, I’m grateful to Jim’s assistants, Leslie
Matlin and more recently Kayla Schwalbe, and his
intern, Hannah Morrissey; Tom Doherty, Irene Gallo
and her staff, Steven Padnick, and all the other
wonderful people at Tor Books.
Finally, I want to thank my wife and daughters.
Their love and support, their laughter and silliness, make