Book Excerpt

The Destroyer circled lazily before settling into a tree once more. It was somewhat closer now, on the edge of the clearing, craning its long neck in the semi-dark. The head moved slowly from side to side while the fiery eyes probed the darkness where Lund lay motionless. The runner sensed rather than saw the eager set of the massive wings still quivering in readiness. His heart was beaing rapidly, in time with the pulsing of slow fire where the thorny spears of the brush had raked his body.

Though it would certainly have killed him had he not fallen from his perch, Lund perceived that the horror was content for the moment with blocking his escape.

Darkening Tide

The Scourge of Antiquity, a nightmare flow of violence and destruction, is about to engulf all the eastern lands. Will there be some to make a stand, to heed the warnings, to escape the carnage following in its wake? Is it possible to overcome age-old hatreds and conditioning in the face of stark reality?

For one and all the hour of crisis has arrived, where their present choices will determine their ultimate destinies.

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A cataclysmic tide of death from antiquity is about to engulf the eastern shores of the Inland Sea, filling the fields from Lisan to the north with fangs and claws, obliterating everything in its path. Caught on the edges of this maelstrom, Lund, Ruhn, Gaereth and Haldrid are embroiled still in their personal battles. Yet there is no way to avoid choosing sides, for all the nations of the region find themselves in the way of Horun’s terrible storm of retribution, mere thralls in the game of ultimate domination.

Ruhn, adrift on a sea of indecision, is confronted with the darkness in his own soul, and has to find a way of salvation or be swallowed forever in the bitter hatred of his past.

For the Ligerian girl a nightmare awaits that will test her spirit and soul to the highest degree, as well as the loyalties of those who profess themselves her friends.

The long struggle of the hopeless in the Dankwood will end: either with final extermination or an impossible escape.

The Vaerhan boy who works his innocent charm on those who surround him, wins allies and devoted friends wherever he goes, but will this magic be sufficient before the ultimate challenge?

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In another Time the Allmother was tristful and alone, her eyes young and eager for love. Among the tall trees of her Place she wandered, ever yearning for a glimpse of her beloved. The breezes of the eventide whispered to her of his virtues, of his many deeds of bravery, the greatness of his Name… but her heart grew empty and cold with unfulfilled longings. Then there slipped in a shadow among the trees, another form, who moved in silent sympathy to listen to her lament, and in so doing bring her a small measure of comfort.

So soon her eager glance was for this shape that strayed only on the edge of vision, present at first in the subtle moving of ferns and the deepened shade of brush. Her words composed in morning meditation were meant for him to hear… her secret longings found an echo in his lingering presence. Closer he drew to her, and she would lure him, draw him out from where he was hiding. She played her emptiness away and was distracted from her grief till she looked only for the form of her friend among the sweet flowers and the silent lanes. At last, when he touched her, she did not shy away... and her love fell from its lofty perch of virtue, twisting her dreams of old into a stark regret and present guilt.

When finally the radiance of her husband strode into the garden, her smile was false as the open arms and perfumed bower, fabricated to hide her shame...

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Book Excerpt

Darkening Tide

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