Labyrinths heart, p.1
Labyrinth's Heart, page 1
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2023 by Bryn Neuenschwander and Alyc Helms
Excerpt from The Phoenix King copyright © 2021 by Aparna Verma
Excerpt from The Jasad Heir copyright © 2023 by Sara Hashem
Cover design by Lauren Panepinto
Cover illustration by Nekro
Cover copyright © 2023 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Map by Tim Paul
Author photograph by John Scalzi
Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Orbit
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104
orbitbooks.net
First Edition: August 2023
Simultaneously published in Great Britain by Orbit
Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
The Orbit name and logo are trademarks of Little, Brown Book Group Limited.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to hachettespeakersbureau.com or email HachetteSpeakers@hbgusa.com.
Orbit books may be purchased in bulk for business, educational, or promotional use. For information, please contact your local bookseller or the Hachette Book Group Special Markets Department at special.markets@hbgusa.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Carrick, M. A., author.
Title: Labyrinth’s heart / M.A. Carrick.
Description: First edition. | New York, NY : Orbit, 2023. | Series: Rook & Rose ; book 3
Identifiers: LCCN 2023000580 | ISBN 9780316539739 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780316539753 (ebook)
Subjects: LCGFT: Fantasy fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PS3603.A77443 L33 2023 | DDC 813/.6—dc23/eng/20230109
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023000580
ISBNs: 9780316539739 (trade paperback), 9780316539753 (ebook)
E3-20230721-JV-NF-ORI
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Map
Dramatis Personae
A Note on Pronunciation
The Story So Far
Prologue
PART I Chapter 1: The Welcoming Bowl
Chapter 2: Three Hands Join
Chapter 3: Jump at the Sun
Chapter 4: Pouncing Cat
Chapter 5: Sword in Hand
Chapter 6: The Mask of Worms
Chapter 7: River’s Blessing
Chapter 8: The Friendly Fist
Chapter 9: The Mask of Bones
PART II Chapter 10: One Poppy Weeps
Chapter 11: The Face of Ages
Chapter 12: Coffer and Key
Chapter 13: The Mask of Ravens
Chapter 14: The Ember Adamant
Chapter 15: The Face of Balance
Chapter 16: The Face of Song
Chapter 17: Warp and Weft
Chapter 18: Drowning Breath
PART III Chapter 19: The Mask of Knives
Chapter 20: Seven as One
Chapter 21: The Mask of Ashes
Chapter 22: The Mask of Unraveling
Chapter 23: The Face of Weaving
Chapter 24: The Living Dream
Chapter 25: The Peacock’s Web
Chapter 26: Labyrinth’s Heart
Chapter 27: Pearl’s Promise
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Discover More
Glossary
Extras Meet the Author
A Preview of The Phoenix King
A Preview of The Jasad Heir
Also by M. A. Carrick
Praise for the Rook & Rose Trilogy
For our families, both birth and found
Explore book giveaways, sneak peeks, deals, and more.
Tap here to learn more.
Dramatis Personae
Ren—aka Renata Viraudax, aka Arenza Lenskaya, a con artist
NOBILITY
House Acrenix
Eret Ghiscolo Acrenix—former head of House Acrenix, Caerulet in the Cinquerat (deceased)
Carinci Acrenix—his stepmother
Sibiliat Acrenix—his daughter and heir
Fadrin Acrenix—a cousin
House Coscanum
Faella Coscanum—sister of the head of house
Marvisal Coscanum—her grandniece
Bondiro Coscanum—her grandnephew
House Destaelio
Era Cibrial Destaelio—head of House Destaelio, Prasinet in the Cinquerat
House Extaquium
Eret Sureggio Extaquium—former head of House Extaquium (deceased)
Parma Extaquium—a cousin
House Fintenus
Eret Giuppero Fintenus—head of House Fintenus
Egliadas Fintenus—a cousin
Avaquis Fintenus—a cousin
House Indestor (disbanded)
Eret Mettore Indestor—former head of House Indestor, former Caerulet in the Cinquerat (deceased)
Mezzan Acrenicis—his son and heir, adopted into House Acrenix
Breccone Simendis Indestris—married in from House Simendis (deceased)
House Novrus
Eret Iascat Novrus—head of House Novrus, Argentet in the Cinquerat
Sostira Novrus—former house head and former Argentet
House Quientis
Eret Scaperto Quientis—head of House Quientis, Fulvet in the Cinquerat
House Simendis
Eret Utrinzi Simendis—head of House Simendis, Iridet in the Cinquerat
House Traementis
Era Donaia Traementis—head of House Traementis
Leato Traementis—her son (deceased)
Giuna Traementis—her daughter
Letilia Traementis—her former sister-in-law, originally called Lecilla
Tanaquis Fienola Traementatis—an astrologer and inscriptor working for Iridet
Meppe Traementatis—a cousin, formerly of House Indestor
Idaglio Minzialli Traementatis—a cousin
Nencoral Fintenus Traementatis—a cousin
Colbrin—a servant
House Vargo
Eret Derossi Vargo—crime lord and upstart nobleman
Alsius Acrenix, aka Master Peabody—a nobleman in a spider’s body
DELTA GENTRY
Agniet Cercel—a former commander in the Vigil
Ludoghi Kaineto—a lieutenant in the Vigil
Rimbon Beldipassi—a rising success
Toneo Pattumo—Renata’s former banker
Orrucio Amananto—a ubiquitous gentleman
THE STADNEM ANDUSKE
Koszar Yureski Andrejek—former leader of the Stadnem Anduske
Ustimir Hraleski Branek—his rival and new leader
Idusza Nadjulskaya Polojny—loyal to Andrejek
Dmatsos Krasnoski Očelen—loyal to Branek
Tserdev Krasnoskaya Očelen—his sister, head of the Crimson Eyes knot
VRASZENIANS
Grey Serrado—a duelist for House Traementis
Kolya (Jakoslav) Serrado—Grey’s brother (deceased)
Alinka Serrado—Kolya’s widow, an herbalist
Yvieny and Jagyi—their children
Jakoslav Szerado—father of Grey and Kolya
Laročja Szerado—mother of Jakoslav, an influential szorsa
Dalisva Mladoskaya Korzetsu—granddaughter of the Kiraly clan leader
Mevieny Plemaskaya Straveši—a blinded szorsa of the Dvornik
Zlatsa—Tanaquis’s maid-of-all-work
Ivrina Lenskaya—Ren’s mother, an outcast (deceased)
THE STREET
Nikory—one of Vargo’s lieutenants
Pavlin Ranieri—Tess’s sweetheart
Arkady Bones—boss of the biggest knot in the Shambles
Dvaran—keeper of the Gawping Carp
Oksana Ryvček—a duelist
Kasienka Ryvček—her niece
Stoček—a former aža dealer
Tess—Ren’s sister
Sedge—Ren’s brother
Simlin—a former Finger
Esmierka—a former Finger, now a thief in the Oyster Crackers
Ondrakja—former leader of the Fingers, also called Gammer Lindworm (deceased)
FOREIGNERS
Diomen—a Seterin inscriptor, leader of the Illius Praeteri (deceased)
Kaius Sifigno—aka Kaius Rex, aka the Tyrant, conqueror of Nadežra (deceased)
Varuni—sent to safeguard an investment in Vargo
The Rook—an outlaw
A Note on Pronunciation
Vraszenian uses a few special characters in its spelling: č is pronounced like ch in “chair,” š like sh in “ship,” and ž like
Liganti names and terms have the vowels of Italian or Spanish: a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = oh, u = oo. The letters c and g change before e and i, so Cercel = cher-CHELL and Giuna = JOO-nah; ch and gh are used to keep them unchanged, so Ghiscolo = gee-SCO-loh.
Seterin names share the same vowels as Liganti, but c and g are always hard, and the ae vowel combination sounds like the English word “eye.”
The Story So Far
(Or, this is their past, the good and the ill of it, and that which is neither…)
Ren infiltrated the noble House Traementis hoping to make a better life for herself and her sister, Tess. Investigated by the Vigil captain Grey Serrado, courted by the upstart crime lord Derossi Vargo, and partnering with the hooded vigilante known as the Rook—who was, in fact, Grey—she soon found herself caught up in the lethal politics of Nadežra, when Mettore Indestor attempted to destroy the Wellspring of Ažerais, the most holy site in all of Vraszan.
When Leato, the Traementis heir, was killed in the magical disaster known as the Night of Hells, Ren—or rather, the Seterin noblewoman “Renata Viraudax”—found herself adopted into House Traementis as their new heir, but her successful con began to weigh on her as her fondness for her adopted relatives grew. Trapped in Renata’s life, Ren sought escape in her Vraszenian persona, Arenza Lenskaya. She tracked her friends from the radical Stadnem Anduske group to the house of Grey Serrado’s widowed sister-in-law, Alinka… bringing her into dangerously intimate proximity with Grey. Despite the risk that he might recognize Arenza as Renata, she was reluctant to abandon the warmth growing between them.
In contrast, her relationship with Vargo grew colder. Having learned that Vargo sold her out to Mettore Indestor, Ren began to investigate him. As Renata, she accepted an invitation from the astrologer Tanaquis Fienola to join a numinatrian mystery cult, the Illius Praeteri—a cult Vargo showed particular interest in. As the Black Rose, the mystical guise Ren created to save the wellspring from destruction, she began to work alongside Vargo, hiding her distrust and hatred behind the Rose’s mask.
The Black Rose was recruited by the ziemetse, the leaders of the Vraszenian clans, to oppose the new and more violent leadership of the Stadnem Anduske. With Vargo’s aid, she captured a key target, and Vargo snared an enemy of his own: Dmatsos Očelen, brother to one of Vargo’s most dangerous Lower Bank opponents. Unfortunately, Vargo’s attempts to help the ousted leader of the Anduske, Koszar Andrejek, went wrong, and Andrejek was arrested. Even though a Praeteri ritual led Renata to openly turn against Vargo, vilifying him for his betrayal, Ren (as the Black Rose) had no choice but to team up with Vargo and the Rook to free Andrejek from the Dockwall Prison.
This tangle of relationships drew tight the night of a ball celebrating the adoption of Renata, Tanaquis, and others into House Traementis, when a letter from House Viraudax in Seteris arrived in Whitesail. Fearing it would expose her lies, Ren donned the Black Rose’s mask to steal it, but she was caught by Vargo. To her surprise, he burned the letter without reading it, letting slip his regret that he had hurt Renata.
Their encounter saved Grey’s life. That night, an ambush laid by Ghiscolo Acrenix caught and nearly killed the Rook. Ren was forced to temporarily don the Rook’s costume in Grey’s place, and in the aftermath, her only hope for saving him from the lethal curse draining his life was to take him to Vargo for aid. Vargo recognized the curse as the one used to assassinate Alsius Acrenix years ago—the same Alsius who became his spider companion, Master Peabody. At the risk of his own life, Vargo was able to save Grey from the curse.
With her identity revealed to both Vargo and Grey, Ren learned the deeper truth of Nadežra’s problems. The Tricat-inscribed medallion she stole from her old mistress, Letilia, was one of a set of artifacts that used to belong to the Tyrant, Kaius Rex. It was the power of these medallions that the Rook fought against, and with Ren’s help, Grey was closer to destroying them than any Rook before him. But after Vargo retrieved the lost Tricat from the realm of Ažerais’s Dream, Tanaquis revealed what none of them had realized: The medallions called on the unholy and corrupting force of the Primordials.
And as dangerous as one medallion could be, the full set was worse. Ghiscolo Acrenix had a scheme to gather and join them together once more, giving himself the power Kaius Rex had used to conquer Vraszan. The trio successfully stopped him… but when the spirit of the Rook was willing to let Ghiscolo’s ritual kill the medallion holders to destroy the malevolent artifacts, Grey defied that spirit to save Ren’s life. In so doing, he broke the Rook, severing all connection to the spirit and its power.
Now Ren, Grey, and Vargo are each burdened with a medallion of their own. And they must find a way to destroy them before the Primordials corrupt their hearts…
Prologue
The world held three kinds of fear. There was the kind too strong to fight; if you were smart, you ran, hid until it passed you by. There was the kind you stood up and faced, because if you didn’t, then you’d spend your whole life hiding.
And there was the kind you lived with. Because once it seeped into your bones, it never truly went away.
Grey knew he was supposed to enjoy the Festival of Veiled Waters. It was a time of celebration, from the Upper Bank to the Lower, when fog shrouded the city for a solid week, and everyone ran around in masks. There were singers and jugglers and plays about the fall of the Tyrant, and most people looked forward to it all winter.
But the week of unrelenting fog made him feel like someone might step out of it without warning, like he might vanish into it and never be seen again. His grandmother was Kiraly born and wed, but in Grey’s mind she was as crafty as a Varadi spider, her influence and power stretching out like a sticky, entangling web. “We’re safe,” Kolya always said, when Grey shared that thought. “Two years we’ve been here; if she and Dodač were coming after us, they’d have done it by now.”
Kolya didn’t understand how deep the fear ran. He did everything he could to ease it, though, treating every trouble his little brother brought to their door with patient kindness—as when he returned to their Kingfisher lodging house on the first day of Veiled Waters and found Grey spattered with walnut dye, more of it seemingly on his hands than in Leato’s once-golden hair. “When Eret Traementis sees you—” he groaned.
“It’s a disguise!” Grey said, sticking his guilty hands behind his back. “So Leato can with us go around the Lower Bank.”
“I want to see the performing monkeys,” Leato said. “And the peddlers and the puppet shows and drink spiced chocolate and—”
Grey and Kolya couldn’t afford half those things. Although House Traementis had given Kolya steady work, that only covered their lodgings and other necessities, not extravagances. The lift of Kolya’s brow asked, Is it Leato you invited, or his purse?
The tiny shake of Grey’s head answered that question. His friend might be a wealthy Liganti altan—not that he looked very rich or noble, with walnut dye staining head, hands, and half his borrowed clothes—but Grey wasn’t hoping to sail a river of gold tonight.
He wanted someone with him, to chase away the fear brought by the fog. And he didn’t want Kolya to carry that burden all night.
And Kolya nodded. Because even if he didn’t understand, he never questioned. He just protected Grey, against any threat that might come.
With Leato at his side in a spare panel coat and paper mask, Grey could relax and enjoy the flash of bright clothes sweeping through swirls of mysterious fog, the real world seeming like a dream even in the off years when Ažerais’s wellspring slumbered. Leato wanted to try everything: They feasted on toasted foxnuts, fried honey cakes, roasted crickets that crunched like embers and burned like fire. They shared a cup of spiced chocolate while watching a juggler catch and throw torches that burned away wisps of fog. That polished off, Grey dragged Leato into a Vraszenian dance, all stamps and claps, jostling shoulders and friendly mockery.
“Ugh, we’ve lost Kolya,” Grey said once the dance shook them loose and they sat on the fringes, drinking great gulps of air and sweetened citron water. His brother leaned against a nearby barrel of millet beer, talking to an upriver girl. “Yesterday he met that one—Alinya, Gulinka, something like that—and an hour I had to stand there, listening to them flirt. Badly.”
