Michelle Sagara

Something is stirring again... Seven years ago Kaylin fled the crime-riddled streets of Nightshade, knowing that something was after her. Children were being murdered--and they all had the same odd markings that mysteriously appeared on her own skin... Since then, she's learned to read, she's learned to fight and she's become one of the vaunted Hawks who patrol and police the city of Elantra. Alongside the winged Aerians and immortal Barrani, she's made a place for herself far from the mean streets of her birth. But children are once again dying, and a dark and familiar pattern is emerging. Kaylin is ordered back into Nightshade with a partner she knows she can't trust, a Dragon lord for a companion and a device to contain her powers--powers that no other human has. Her task is simple: find the killer, stop the murders...and survive the attentions of those who claim to be her allies.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES? Private Kaylin Neya thought her home couldn't possibly get more crowded. But when one of her housemates, Annarion, decides to undertake the Barrani Test of Name, his friends refuse to let him face his task alone--and Kaylin's sentient home, Helen, is the only structure capable of shielding the rest of Elantra from the magnitude of their power. Annarion and Mandoran almost caused the destruction of the High Halls once already. Add nine of their closest friends, and the danger is astronomically higher--especially since these guests are at the heart of a political firestorm. Imprisoned almost a millennium ago, their recent freedom threatens the rulership of several prominent Barrani families, and the machinations of those Lords make it almost impossible to tell friend from foe. As political tensions ramp up, the shadows beneath the High Halls are seeking a freedom that has never been possible before. Kaylin must find a way to keep those shadows from escaping, or that freedom will destroy her city, the empire and everything she holds dear.

New York Times bestselling author Michelle Sagara returns to the city of Elantra with a thrilling tale rife with ancient magic, assassination attempts and political intrigue. Private Kaylin Neya already has Dragons and Barrani as roommates. Adding one injured, flightless Aerian to her household should be trivial. Sure, the Aerian is Sergeant Moran dar Carafel, but Kaylin's own sergeant is a Leontine, the definition of growly and fanged. She can handle one Aerian. But when a walk to the Halls of Law becomes a street-shattering magical assassination attempt on the sergeant, Kaylin discovers that it's not the guest who's going to be the problem: it's all of the people who suddenly want Moran dar Carafel dead. And though Moran refuses to tell her why she's being targeted, Kaylin is determined to discover her secret and protect her at all costs--even if keeping Moran safe means dealing with Aerian politics, angry dragons and something far more sinister.

In the aftermath of a vicious battle between darkness and light, the city of Elantra has emerged victorious. But Shadows continue to haunt every corner of its streets... Elantra stands strong, but countless numbers of Hawks, the city's staunchest protectors, were lost in the brutal attack. Humans, Barrani, Aerians, Leontines--none of the races emerged unscathed from the defense of the city. Homes were lost, families were scattered...and the outcast Barrani Lord Nightshade is missing from his castle in the fiefs. Yet as the chaos surrounding the battle begins to wane, Private Kaylin Neya's duties must resume, despite her grief. Called in to investigate a triple murder in a quiet part of town, Kaylin and her companions are soon embroiled in a case that is anything but routine. Evidence of the deadly Shadows that still threaten the city leads to hints of ancient, forgotten magics...and everything can be traced directly to Ravellon, the heart of the Shadows and the darkness they contain. But it is there that Lord Nightshade will be found--if he still survives.

NATHANFour months ago, Nathan had everything he wanted in life: he had Emma.Three months ago, he died.Death hasn't been easy. The only people who can see the dead are Necromancers and their Queen. And you don't want to piss off the Queen of the Dead. She's brilliant light and fire, and if there's no actual hell, she can make a personal one, just for you. But all she seems to want for Nathan is to send him home -- where he can see the people he loved, even if they can't see him. He doesn't know why. He doesn't care. If he goes home, he can finally see... EMMAFour months ago, Emma was in love with Nathan. Three months ago, he died. One month ago, Emma began to see the dead. They look exactly the way they appeared before they died; she knows. She's seen her father. She's even argued with him. Seeing the dead has made her life vastly more complicated. People want to kill her. People want to kidnap her and force her to truly become a Necromancer. People want to kill her friends, just because they know her. But even if she could get rid of this strange power, she wouldn't, because if it's gone, she'll never see Nathan again... But the Queen of the Dead has plans of her own, for both Nathan and Emma.