"A powerful order of warrior monks forged in the fires of the Crusades during the twelfth century, the legendary Knights Templar did not vanish entirely following their failed campaigns in the Holy Land. Having attained great power and arcane skill, they withdrew from the public eye but remained hidden in the shadows, prepared to do battle against the enemies of Christianity and the adherents of the old malevolent gods. Now, these noble defenders of the faith recognize Scotland as the next battleground, foretold in dreams and visions, as legendary Scottish heroes William 'Braveheart' Wallace and Robert the Bruce take up arms against the forces of the English King Edward I in the terrible Anglo-Scottish War.
Charged with establishing their holy fellowship's temple in the disputed land, loyal knights Arnault de Saint Clair, the French cleric, and Torquil Lennox of Scottish birth arrive in the midst of the bloody conflict to help prevent the conquest of Scotland and assure the ascension of its rightful liege. But the magical stone upon which every Scottish king must be crowned has been drained of its mystical power, and only an extreme sacrifice can revive the magic. A perilous endeavor must be undertaken to stem the supernatural evil that is growing amidst the chaos in the land as a powerful Pictish shaman attempts to raise the ancient pagan gods from the darkness to feed on blood and terror.
Coauthors of the acclaimed Adept historical fantasy series, Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris imagine an alternate history that will appeal to fans of the occult, Scottish history, and the fabled Knights Templar."
"The gargoyles of Dublin, Ireland, have a sacred duty to perform. Formerly God's avenging angels, for centuries they have been entrusted with guarding the churches and cathedrals of the Irish capital while avoiding all contact with human beings. But once a month these loyal stone sentries must leave their posts to attend a conclave of their kind, and it is during one such absence that a sacrilege occurs.
The guardian of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the gargoyle Padraig, called 'Paddy,' has returned to find violence and vandalism committed at his church and two silver artifacts stolen. Taking to Dublin's night streets in search of a culprit, Paddy inadvertently reveals himself to an aged chauffeur in an ancient Rolls Royce, thereby dooming Francis Templeton to an impending premature death. But the grim reaper will have to wait, because old man Templeton is a member of the Knights of Malta, a secret order of defenders of the faith dating back to the Crusades, and as such is an ideal partner for the onetime angel in his quest for justice and revenge. Their hunt is about to take some sinister turns, however, leading the gargoyle and the knight to Clontarf Castle, where a major demon, an emissary of Satan, is preparing to make his reentrance into the world.
An acclaimed and much beloved fantasist best known for her popular Adept and Knights Templar series and her chronicles of the magical Deryni, Katherine Kurtz now displays another side of her extraordinary talent and succeeds magnificently. St. Patrick's Gargoyle is a delightful feast of the imagination, rich in Celtic lore and religious arcana, and brimming with wit and heart, wonder and magic. "
"In the kingdom of Gwynedd, a hero faces an inquisition that could destroy his magical race, in a novel of the Deryni by a New York Times–bestselling author.
In the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd, strife has long existed between the human population and the Deryni, a powerful race of magic-users. For more than a decade, a fragile peace has held under the rule of King Cinhil. The former monk reluctantly ascended the throne with the help of Camber of Culdi, Gwynedd's most revered Deryni lord, who in turn sacrificed his identity and physical form for the good of all people, earning sainthood in the process. But now Cinhil is dying, and a dark cloud is descending upon the land.
The king's heir is a mere boy of twelve, and the malevolent regents who will rule until young Alroy comes of age are determined to eliminate all Deryni. Suddenly, the future of Gwynedd hangs in the balance, and Camber—once adored as a saint, but now reviled as a heretic—must find a way to protect his people before everything and everyone he loves is destroyed in the all-consuming flames of intolerance and hate."
"Magic and mysticism come alive in this magnificent historical fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of the Deryni.
Long before Camber was revered as a saint, he was a Deryni noble, one of the most respected of the magical race whose arcane skills set them apart from ordinary humans in the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd.
For nearly a century, Camber's family has had little choice but to loyally serve the ruling Festils, Deryni usurpers who employed dark magic to wrest the throne from the rightful Haldane liege.
Now, the land suffers under the tyranny of King Imre, whose savage oppression of the human population weighs heavily on Camber's heart—a heart that is shattered when the despot and his evil mistress-sister, Ariella, cause the death of Camber's beloved son.
The grim demands of justice and vengeance drive Camber far from his family's estates in search of the last of the Haldane line. This descendant of kings will not be easily persuaded to accept Camber's unthinkable plan. But with the kingdom in turmoil, the aging mage and the reluctant Haldane heir must confront together the awesome, terrible might of the Festils for the good of all."
"The breathtaking history of the Deryni continues as the greatest hero of a medieval fantasy realm is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice
The evil king is dead, and thanks to the efforts of revered Deryni magic-user Camber of Culdi, a human liege occupies the throne of Gwynedd for the first time in nearly a century. The yoke of tyranny has finally been lifted from the shoulders of an oppressed people who suffered for decades under the cruelty of the ruling magical race. But Camber's job remains unfinished. The dangerous remnants of a conquered enemy still mass at the borders. Worse still, the former monk and new ruler King Cinhil is desperately unhappy wearing the crown, and is resentful of all Deryni, Camber in particular, and their arcane abilities. Now, with the stability of a fragile kingdom at stake, its greatest champion must make the ultimate sacrifice: Camber of Culdi must cease to exist."
"The year is 1940, and Great Britain's forces struggle against the Nazi war machine. France has fallen to Adolf Hitler's army and England is next. A British secret agent pays the ultimate price to deliver early warning to harness the power of the occult to conquer Great Britain by launching a supernatural assault that no defending military force could possibly deflect.
British Intelligence operative Col. John 'Gray' Graham of MI6 is not only a valuable player in the great game of wartime espionage, he is also a practitioner of the ancient occult arts. Gray's destiny has been firmly intertwined with that of his close friend Prince William. Now, with the future of Britain at stake, these two men, the spy and the royal, must rally the hidden adherents of the Old Religion, hoping to unite the British covens in defense of their endangered island homeland. But it will take more than combined Wiccan sorcery to repel the Reich's black magic on Lammas Night—and the sacrifice required might be greater than imagined and truly terrible to endure.
Lammas Night is a spectacular feat of creative imagination from the author of the acclaimed Deryni fantasy series. Smart, affecting, and brilliantly conceived, it is an enthralling combination of historical fiction, war novel, and the occult that will appeal to fans of all fantastic literature."
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