Showing results by author "Barb Hendee" in All Categories

Magiere has earned a reputation as the most formidable vampire slayer in the land. Villagers far and wide welcome her with both awe and disdain - grateful to her for ridding their towns of the undead menace, but finding themselves made poorer for their salvation. Magiere knows she's dealing with simple folk, who only wish to have their superstitions silenced, and sees nothing wrong with exploiting them for profit.

On her 17th birthday, Megan of Chaumont discovers she'll be sold as a bride to the brutish Volodane family - within hours. Her father grants only that she may choose which one of the ruthless, grasping lord's three sons she weds: Rolf, the eldest: stern, ambitious, and loyal? Sebastian, the second son: sympathetic, sly, and rebellious? Or Kai, the youngest: bitter, brooding, and proud? As shy, horrified Megan flees the welcome dinner for her in-laws-to-be, she finds an enchanted mirror that will display how her life unrolls with each man, as if she were living it out in a breath. But there is no smooth "happily ever after" in her choices.

Magiere the dhampir and her partner, the half-elf Leesil, are on a journey to uncover the secrets of their mysterious pasts. But first their expertise as vampire hunters is required on behalf of a small village being tormented by a creature of unlimited and unimaginable power.

With much relief, Magiere, Leesil, and Chap prepare to hide the last two of the powerful orbs. Once this last great task is completed, Magiere can take Leesil home to a life of peace. Then, rumors reach them that a horde of undead creatures, slaughtering everything in their wake, are gathering in the far east regions of the Suman desert. This gathering could be caused only by the Ancient Enemy awakening. With no other choice, Magiere tells Leesil they cannot go home yet.

Magiere the dhampir thinks that her nights of hunting vampires are over. After settling down in her newly adopted village of Miiska - now vampire free, thanks to her and her half-elf partner, Leesil - she looks forward to quiet days tending to her tavern. But far away in the capital city of Bela, a prominent councilman's daughter has been found dead on her own doorstep...and all signs point to a vampire.

For years Magiere and Leesil have sought a long-forgotten artifact, even though its purpose has been shrouded in mystery. All Magiere knows is that she must keep the orb from falling into the hands of a murdering Noble Dead, her half-brother Welstiel. And now dreams of a castle locked in ice lead her south, on a journey that has become nothing less than an obsession.

Magiere the Dhampir was created by a shadowy, long-forgotten enemy of many names - an enemy who the elf Leesil was trained from childhood to kill. They were brought together by the Fay to forge an alliance that might have the power to stand against the forces of dark magics. But as Magiere and Leesil uncover the truth, they discover just how close the enemy has always been...

Born a half-breed to an elven mother and human father, Leesil was raised in the Warlands as an assassin, spy, and slave for Lord Darmouth, ruler of an independent province. But Leesil's mother trained him well, and he used his skills to escape, leaving his parents to suffer Darmouth's wrath for all such traitors and their kin. Now with newfound purpose in the company of his beloved Magiere, Leesil returns to confront the sins of his past and uncover his parents' fate.

Young journeyer Wynn Hygeorht sets out with her companions, the vampire Chane Andraso and Shade, an elven wolf, in search of a dwarven stronghold that may well be the last resting place of a mythical orb - one of five such mysterious devices from the war of Forgotten History. And now a direct descendant of that war's infamous mass murderer - the Lord of Slaughter - is tracking Wynn. If only that were all she had to worry about....

Young scholar Wynn Hygeorht remains determined to recover ancient texts she brought back from the castle in the Farlands. To do so, she will have to journey to the mountain stronghold of the dwarves with two uncertain allies as guides. But there, she will find more puzzles and questions buried in secrets old and new - along with an enemy she thought destroyed....

Kara, as a ward with no parentage and no future, has been raised knowing nothing outside her lady's chambers. Until Royce Capello, a visiting nobleman, is struck by her ice-pale looks, and demands her as payment for the land the family needs. With barely time to protest, Kara is sold and packed off for a life as a concubine until a raiding party descends on Royce's company and she's kidnapped for the second time in as many days. Whatever happens, Kara will be alone in the world, inexperienced and fearing even the vast unfamiliar sky. But one raider gives her a choice - and a magic mirror appears to show her where each path will lead.

Waylaid in their quest for the orb of the air, Magiere, Leesil, Chap, and Wayfarer have all been wrongly imprisoned. But it is Magiere, the dhampir, who suffers the most, as a cloaked interrogator employs telepathic torture. Arriving at the Suman port city in search of Magiere, Wynn Hygeorht and her companions - including vampire Chane Andraso - seek out Domin Ghassan il'Sänke for assistance, which proves no easy task. The domin is embroiled in a secret hunt for a spectral undead with the power to invade anyone living and take the body as its host.

In her quest to find the Orb of Spirit, Wynn Hygeorht is torn between two men who hate each other - her vampire protector, Chane Andraso, and the elf Osha, who has tender feelings for her. Now a strange series of clues leads them to a remote keep built on the dark cliffs of the coast of Witeny. The young duke there has been undergoing some disturbing changes - and so have the people and livestock in the outlying villages. Wynn has no idea what awaits her at this keep - an old enemy who wants nothing more than to see her dead.

Wynn Hygeorht arrives at the Guild of Sagecraft, bearing texts supposedly penned by vampires. Seized by the Guild's scholars without Wynn's consent, several pages disappear - and two sages are found murdered. Convinced the Noble Dead are responsible for the killings, Wynn embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of the texts....

Wynn Hygeort is stunned when Magiere and Leesil, along with the elven wolf Chap, show up at the Guild of Sagecraft. But Wynn cannot leave with her friends - she still must access the texts within the Guild’s archives, which may help her divine the locations of the last two Orbs sought by the Ancient Enemy. To complete her task - and protect the Orbs - Wynn must remain sequestered from her friends. But she’s essentially a prisoner.

Magiere, Leesil, and elven dog Chap are continuing their quest to find the powerful Orb of Air. But they are not alone. Aging elven assassin Brot’an has forced his company on them while also offering his protection. Chap doesn’t believe his ruse, however. As they sail, Magiere struggles with her own dark nature, using Leesil’s love as an anchor to keep her grounded. For the personal price she paid to procure the Orb of Fire was more than she thought - and more than she wants to reveal to anyone.

Ever since raiders from the north began attacking villages, Lady Nicole Montagna has known that defending her people would come at a cost. The betrothal of her sister Chloe to a neighboring lord seems the perfect solution, forging a powerful alliance. But shortly before the wedding, Nicole is shocked to discover that her sister is with child - and not by her husband-to-be. Now she must make a choice, and she has just hours to decide.

In the dark reaches of the eastern continent, Tris Vishal travels from village to village, using his power to put unsettled spirits to rest. He works alone, having learned that letting people close only leads to more death. Still, he finds himself accepting the help of the Mondyalitko woman who saves his life - a woman whose gifts are as much a burden as his own. Mari Kaleja thirsted for vengeance since the night her family was taken from her. She has searched far and wide for the one she thinks responsible, known only as "The Dead's Man".

Powerful Prince Malcolm is facing ruin in the wake of a curse that has destroyed his harvest. He blames the band of nomadic Móndyalítko who summer in the meadow below his castle - and he is determined to root out the people who caused the blight by any means necessary. When Céline and Amelie Fawe, descended from the Móndyalítko, learn that their mother's people are under suspicion of sabotage and treason, they set out to use their magical gifts to save their estranged relatives and learn about their own origins.

When seers Céline and Amelie Fawe fled Shetâna under threat of death, they vowed never to return. Yet less than a year later, they are summoned back - to aid the man who once tried to kill them.... The cruel prince Damek is on the verge of closing marriage negotiations with the powerful family of a young noblewoman when his intended's sister is murdered. To keep the engagement from falling through, Damek must expose the killer quickly - and he needs the seers' powers to do so.