Blade of Empire

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Sword Moon: Smoke and Veils

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Sword Moon to Thunder Moon: The End of the West

  CHAPTER NINETEEN: Thunder Moon: The Unicorn’s Promise

  Books by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

  About the Authors

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

  BLADE OF EMPIRE

  Copyright © 2017 by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Todd Lockwood

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

  175 Fifth Avenue

  New York, NY 10010

  www.tor-forge.com

  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-0-7653-2439-9 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4299-4404-5 (ebook)

  eISBN 9781429944045

  Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: October 2017