Showing results by author "David Estes" in All Categories

They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore.

When Ludo Vica was only eight years old, he lost his twin brother and his eye when a horrific fire turned his village to ash. The last thing he remembers is a dark figure, wreathed in flames, stalking toward his childhood home. His brother, Gado, was still inside. Then came the explosion, the burning pain where his eye should've been, followed by blessed oblivion. The man deemed responsible for it all was Cainan, a dark sorcerer known as the Fire Eater, who was brought to justice and imprisoned in the legendary fortress known as Comman Dur.

As heroes and villains seek to secure the seven godblades, the greatest evil to threaten Kingfall draws ever closer. Six of the seven godblades have been revealed, but is Kingfall any safer than it was before these ancient weapons were returned to the light? This and myriad other questions must be answered before the world can know true peace.

A thousand years have passed since the last Blood Tide, when the goddess Narcissi Herself fought to defend humankind from certain extermination by an ancient enemy. But when She failed during the final battle, She was forced to retreat into the safety of Lostwood's shadows, never to appear again. Legend has it She planted Herself in the earth, allowing the forest to grow around Her. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the goddess is now defended by her army of Sightless, Guardians, and Protectors. Collectively, they call themselves the Forsworn.

While Ludo begins his unexpected search for a brother he thought he'd lost long ago, Bryony and a pair of unlikely allies set their course on unraveling the mysteries of Lostwood. In the heart of the forest, Perfidy and her motley crew of acolytes search for Cainan while rumors of the first ever dragon to inhabit Finfalla swirl from mouth to mouth, ear to ear.

The secrets of Kingfall's mage prison, Lockspell, have been buried for far too long. When mages Quill and Rondo are sentenced to a lifetime of hallucinations in Lockspell, only their mettle, desire for justice, and a chance encounter can help them escape. But what they discover in doing so may leave them wishing they'd stayed.

Infused with magic, shadows and starlight, the powerful godblades were believed to be lost nearly half a millennia ago, when the Godswar ended. Now, however, one has been found by the unlikeliest of wielders: Sampson Gaard, a blind but ambitious prince with something to prove. The only question is whether he controls the blade or the blade him. With an insidious evil lurking in the shadows, the answer may very well determine the fate of all Kingfall.

To the north, Annise Gäric ventures into the Hinterlands to discover the truth of the Sleeping Knights, who may be the only hope for her kingdom. Meanwhile, Tarin Sheary travels to Darrin in a desperate bid to repel the eastern forces amassing at Crow's Nest. Unbeknownst to either of them, a new threat rises in Blackstone.

While the war for the Four Kingdoms drags on, a new threat emerges from across the sea. To the North, Annise Gäric seek to rescue Lady Zelda and retake Castle Hill from the sellswords known as the Brotherhood. In the back of her mind is a growing fear, something she can't quite explain. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Lorne tries to regain control of the ancient army of Sleeping Knights before they become the horde of death her soulmark has shown to her in visions. In the West, Rhea Loren find herself at a crossroads: continue down the path of destruction or seek another way, another life.

The Four Kingdoms and the fatemarked face the most powerful army the world has ever seen. In Phanes, Roan Loren, the Peacemaker, has high hopes for a united response to the threat from the Horde, but swiftly realizes the only true ally he has is his arch nemesis, Bane. Meanwhile, Rhea Loren, a new mother with a secret, must decide whether to protect her child or share what she knows with the fatemarked. The fate of the Four Kingdoms hangs in the balance in the epic finale to the Amazon number-one best-selling series!

As Kingfall’s fuse burns ever closer to the powder keg of all-out war, the secrets of the godblades are slowly unsheathed. In Travail, Dane and Peony face usurpers and a scheme by those seeking to overthrow the dragon throne, forcing Peony to flee to Solarii with Daneus to request help from the Dead King. In Teravainen, Jarrod must face his demons and learn how to rule in the wake of his father’s murder. When the darkblades are stolen, he is forced to ride south seeking retribution, while a newly graduated mage named Quill is sent by Aeromand to investigate.

While Annise Gäric and her forces march on Castle Hill to retake the northern throne, her cousin, Rhea Loren, wages a naval war against Blackstone. Meanwhile, Roan Loren and Gwendolyn Storm struggle to breach the gnarled, vine-choked undergrowth of the Tangle in their quest to reach Knight's End and learn more of the true purpose of the fatemarked. In the south, a Calypsian empress is murdered, and her daughters fight to claim the empire and wage a civil war against their estranged father's armies. In Phanes, slavery runs rampant while a rebel group fights to free the oppressed people.

Be bright but do not burn. Embrace the shadows but do not live in the darkness. Those are more than just words; they are truth revealed to only the bravest of souls, those who have the power to change the course of history and rewrite a future otherwise etched into Kingfall's flesh itself. But will good finally overcome the storm of evil brewing in the north? Or will the ancient invaders have their pound of flesh? The answers to these questions may surprise both heroes and villains alike.

Wherever you look, be it in the texts of Ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium or the Renaissance, the Greek Magical Papyri or the Chaldean Oracles, you will find Hekate. In this book, the authors draw from a wide range of sources, bringing together historical research which provides insights into the magical and religious practices associated with this remarkable goddess. In doing so they provide an indispensable guide for those wishing to explore the mysteries of Hekate today.

If there's one thing dragons fear, it's a kraken. Even lowly hull-scrubber Zee Tarrow knows that. Like everyone on the island kingdom of Tosh, he grew up frightened by fables and horrible tales of the great beasts of the deep. It seems an odd thing to impress upon the children of the realm, because–luckily for the dragons and their riders–no one has seen a kraken in a thousand years.

Zee Tarrow’s dreams are finally coming true. While the road to acceptance into Triumf’s Citadel Academy has been filled with pain, suffering, and more joy and surprises than Zee could’ve possibly imagined, now is his time to shine. After all, he’s the first kraken rider in more than a thousand years! Who could possibly defeat him? Except now he must be separated from his best and most loyal friend, the kraken, Jessup, as they both must complete basic training individually in order to pass and become full-fledged cadets.

Since the Battle of Shal Gara, the Scions have lurked in the dangerous loam, hunting the survivors of the Last Clan. But malice grows in the treetops and the canopies of the bloodwoods. The lies of the Fireborn creep like a rot through the Swathe, turning citizen against citizen, brother against brother. Their purpose? To open another fiery gate to the demon realm. Racing against time, Tarko and Serisi must fight not only the demon threat but their own growing power. The bond of nectra and demon blood is as alluring as a precipice and just as perilous.

Tarkosi Terelta is a nobody. A nobody who will save his world from demons and the hellfire they bring. The third-born of a shamed family, Tarkosi's lot in life is to spend his days as a worker, feeding temperamental lancewings under a harsh master. His days in the bloodwood city of Shal Gara are full of drudgery, tedium, and pain, his own ambitions cast aside in the name of order.

The Swathe faces its final stand, and it seems that history is doomed to repeat. In the wake of defeat, monsoon now reigns over the Swathe, and both human and demon wait to join in battle for the final time. It now falls to the Scions of the Sixth-Born to unify the bloodwoods in solidarity, or else the world will face utter destruction at the hands of chaos and the new demon king.

From distant planets to enchanted worlds of magic, embark on a journey through amazing short fiction in this epic anthology featuring twenty-two science fiction and fantasy authors. Travel from distant planets on the edge of space to enchanted worlds filled with magic. Laugh with plucky thieves...