Sebastian

 

     
     

    From the back cover:
    Praise for award–winning author Anne Bishop :
    “Rich and fascinatingly different dark fantasy.” –Locus
    “A terrific writer...the more I read, the more excited I became because of the freshness of [her] take on the usual high fantasy setting, the assurance of [her] language, all the lovely touches of characterization that [she slips] in so effortlessly.” –Charles de Lint
    “Lavishly sensual...a richly detailed world.” –Library Journal
    “Vividly painted...dramatic, erotic, hope–filled.” –Lynn Flewelling
    “A darkly fascinating world...Vivid and sympathetic characters...lavish and sensuous descriptions, and interesting world building...Many compelling and beautifully realized elements. A terrific read.” –SF Site
    “Intense...erotic, violent, and imaginative. This one is white–hot.” –Nancy Kress
    “Mystical, sensual, glittering with dark magic.” –Terri Windling, co–editor of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
    “[Anne Bishop's] poignant storytelling skills are surpassed only by her flair for the dramatic and her deft characterization...a talented author.” –Affaire de Coeur

    ALSO BY ANNE BISHOP
     
    THE BLACK JEWELS SERIES

    Daughter of the Blood
    Heir to the Shadows
    Queen of the Darkness
    The Invisible Ring
    Dreams Made Flesh
     
     
    THE TIR AEAINN TRILOGY

    The Pillars of the World
    Shadows and Light
    The House of Gaian
     
    ROC
    Published by New American Library, a division of
    Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
    New York, New York 10014, USA
    Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
    Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2,
    Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
    Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
    Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi- 110 017, India
    Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany,
    Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
    Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
    Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
    80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
    First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
     
     
    First Printing, February 2006
     
    Copyright © Anne Bishop, 2006
    All rights reserved
     
    REGISTERED TRADEMARK——MARC A REGISTRADA
     
    LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLIC AT ION DATA:
    Bishop, Anne.
    Sebastian / by Anne Bishop.
    p. cm.—(Ephemera #.1)
    ISBN 0-451-46073-1
    I. Title.
    PS3552.I7594S43 2006
    813'.6—dc22 2005019668
     
    Set in Centaur MT
    Designed by Ginger Legato
    Cover art by Larry Rostant
    Cover design by Ray Lundgren
     
    Printed in the United States of America
     
    PUBLISHER'S NOTE
    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
    The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
     

    For
    Pat York
    who crossed over to other landscapes.
    I'm glad you were part of my life.
     
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
     
    My thanks to Blair Boone for continuing to be my first reader, to Debra Dixon for being second reader, to Kandra and Doranna for maintaining the Web site, and to Pat and Bill Feidner for all the things that make them special.
     
    Long ago, in a time that has faded from memory, a mothers tears forged the bridge that, ever after, connected the power of the living, ever-changing world to the human heart.
    —Myth

 

     
     

Chapter One

 

     
     

     
    Present
     
    Standing at the kitchen counter, Sebastian closed his eyes and inhaled slowly and deeply to savor the smell of freshly ground koffea beans. Better than a woman. At least, a more sensual experience than the last two he'd been with.
    When an incubus found sex boring, it was time to take a break—or think about another line of work.
    Pushing that thought into the mental trunk where he'd shoved so many unpleasant memories, he followed the rest of the instructions for