KRISPOS

THE EMPEROR

Book Three of The Tale of Krispos

Harry Turtledove

DEL REY

A Del Rey® Book BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK

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A Del Rey® Book Published by Ballantine Books

Copyright © 1994 by Harry Turtledove

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94-94028 ISBN 0-345-38046-0 Printed in Canada First Edition: June 1994

10 987654321

KRISPOS

THE EMPEROR

I

Krispos sopped a heel of bread in the fermented fish sauce that had gone over his mutton. He ate the bread in two bites, washed it down with a final swallow of sweet, golden Vaspurakaner wine, set the silver goblet back on the table.

Before he could even let out a contented sigh, Barsymes came into the little dining chamber to clear away his dishes. Krispos cocked an eyebrow at the eunuch chamberlain. "How do you time that so perfectly, esteemed sir?" he asked. "It's not sorcery, I know, but it always strikes me as magical."

The vestiarios hardly paused as he answered, "Your Majesty, attention to your needs is the proper business of every palace servitor." His voice was a tone for which Videssian had no name, halfway between tenor and contralto. His long, pale fingers deftly scooped up plates and goblet, knife and fork and spoon, set them on a vermeil tray.