Mad Maudlin

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
—and Quite Deadly . . .

Eric Banyon, better known as Bedlam's Bard, is finally about to graduate from Julliard and enter the Real World and so, with the help of a psychiatrist who specializes in the problems of magicians, he's finally coming to terms with his past. But a spur-of-the-moment trip home to Boston to visit his parents brings him more trouble than even Eric thought possible.

Meanwhile, his Bardic apprentice Hosea has discovered that the young homeless children in New York's shelters have created a bizarre mythology about a demon called Bloody Mary who preys on young children—and somehow Bloody Mary has taken on an independent life and now stalks the streets of the city.

And for some reason, she's after Eric as well. . . .

Praise for the Bedlam's Bard Series:

"[Spirits White as Lightning is] fast, furious, and completely absorbing . . . make no mistake, this is a good series." —Booklist

"Lively and original, rich in clever ideas . . . Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field, and this is among her best." —Locus

"This is a fast-paced, suspenseful, action-packed page turner." —VOYA

"[Lackey] shows a sure touch with the wonder and adventure that characterize the best fantasy writers." —Romantic Times

Cover art by Stephen Hickman

Hardcover

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, August 2003

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lackey, Mercedes.

Mad maudlin / by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-7434-7143-1
1. Children—Crimes against—Fiction. 2. Homeless children—Fiction.
3. Runaway children—Fiction. 4. New York (N.Y.)—Fiction. 5. Brothers—Fiction.
I. Edghill, Rosemary. II. Title.

PS3562.A246M33 2003
813'.54—dc21
2003012128

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 0-7434-7143-1

Copyright 2003 by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com

Production by Windhaven Press
Auburn, NH

Electronic version by WebWrights
http://www.webwrights.com

Titles in this series:

Bedlam's Bard (omnibus with Ellen Guon)
Beyond World's End (with Rosemary Edghill)
Spirits White as Lightning (with Rosemary Edghill)
Mad Maudlin (with Rosemary Edghill)