Kirjahaku

"A potent mix of fantasy, romance, and intrigue." D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book ReviewEighteen-year-old Sheft has good reason to fear there is a connection between himself and a deadly entity that haunts the nearby Riftwood. Already despised as a foreigner, he keeps himself apart. Yet, beyond what he'd ever dared to dream, he and Mariat fall in love.Sheft can't bring himself to tell her the truth about his deepest fear. Neither can he share with her the devastating realization of who he is discovering himself to be, nor the terrifying journey his destiny demands. But when he is forced to take part in the secret Rites of the Dark Circle, he confronts the true magnitude of the evil arrayed against him. It threatens to strip away his life, but will first break his heart.

"A richly-imagined tale of the struggle between the persistence of goodness and the corruption of power within the heart of a single youth-an absorbing follow-up to Blood Seed, the first book in the series."---Debra Doyle, PhD, co-author of Knight's Wyrd, winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Born in a land devastated by a reign of terror, Teller is snatched as an innocent boy into the brutal lord's subterranean stronghold. Mind-probes twist his memories of home, and he grows up into an eighteen-year-old dark rebel. He simmers with hatred for the extended family he believes abandoned him and the lord's four Vols whose mission is to corrupt and redefine him. A mysterious parchment hints of a chosen one with a name similar to his-and a connection to the twin brother he barely remembers. When he discovers within himself the legendary power of fire, the beautiful slave Liasit demands he decide who he truly is. But of the three names among which Teller must choose, one will break his heart, another will break his will, and the third will condemn what is left of his soul. What readers are saying: "Firmly rooted in the fantasy genre yet laced with intrigue, political purpose, and moral and ethical issues."..."Wow Just wow "... "Pacing, action, tension, conflict: it's all here"..."I don't often read fantasy, but I'd read this entire series straight through."..."full of raw emotion"..."I can't wait to read the next two books "...written by "a master of description who keeps all five senses a-tingle."

After a life-long separation, twin brothers Sheft and Teller finally meet in the deadly Riftwood. Teller, however, has been ordered to bring his brother into the Spider-king's underground stronghold. He must decide if he will betray Sheft or help him reach the Seani, the small resistance community secretly working to free their country from the king's reign of terror. Teller's decision results in disaster. What follows is a tale of risk, heartbreak, and courage, plus a race to find the antidote for a mysterious poison that has left Sheft and Teller with only thirteen hours to live. Mariat, meanwhile, strives to outwit the fierce boar-men who have captured her and then must face the most wrenching decision of her life.