（外文电子版资料）Weis, Margaret - Dragonvald 01 - Mistress of Dragons 1.0.docVIP

MISTRESS of DRAGONS MARGARET WEIS A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK NEW YORK This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. MISTRESS OF DRAGONS Copyright ? 2003 by Margaret Weis All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. This book is printed on acid-free paper. A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 Tor? is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Weis, Margaret. Mistress of dragons / Margaret Weis.—1st ed. p. cm. A Tom Doherty Associates book. ISBN: 0-765-30468-6 1. Dragons—Fiction. 2. Women priests—Fiction. I. Title. PS3573.E3978M575 2003 813.54—dc21 2003042618 First Edition: May 2003 Printed in the United States of America 0987654321 Dedicated to Brian Thomson, with affection! 1 EVERY MORNING, BEFORE THE SUN ROSE TO GILD THE white marble columns of the monastery with flecks of gold, the High Priestess went to the Chamber of the Watchful Eye to perform the Rite of Seeing. She alone could conduct the ancient ritual—that was her duty, her privilege. As the other priestesses murmured morning prayers in their cells, Melisande, the High Priestess, walked the chill, dark pathways that led from the monastery proper to the small temple where she would perform the rite. Built out on a promontory overlooking the valley and the city below, the Chamber of the Watchful Eye was circular in shape, constructed of black marble, its domed roof supported by black marble columns. The temple had no walls. Standing within its columns, Melisande could look out to the fir and cedar and hemlock trees that formed a natural wall around the monastery. Another wall—this one of stone, man-made—surrounded the monastery, its extensive grounds, and outbuildings. The Chamber of the Watchful Eye lay outside this wall. Melisande let herself out through