THE SHINING COURT IS RISING
The Lord of the Hells has damaged the barriers between the ancient wilderness and the world of man, and that wilderness has begun to seep into mortal lands. His war to rule the entirety of the mortal world has begun.
ONE KINGDOM STANDS AGAINST THE FALL OF THE WEST
The kingdom of Breodanir is in turmoil. Even the merchant roads in the heart of Breodanir can become wild, unknown places between one step and the next; some have walked those roads, never to return. Now, more than ever, Breodanir has need of Hunter Lords as symbols of strength and stability.
Stephen of Maubreche and his huntbrother Nenyane have been summoned in disgrace to the King’s City. They, and other hunters who have rejected Hunter oaths, are to be schooled in the necessity of the oaths they’ve rejected.
If only it were that simple.
The problem students soon find themselves tested against the forces of the wilderness, the shadows of demons—and even each other.
If they fail these tests, Breodanir will fall—and the entirety of the West will become the Lord of the Hells’ domain.
The Sword must be drawn….
The armies of Alesso di’Marente and Valedan kai di’Leonne are massing in the Terrean of Averda for the battle that will at last determine the rule of the Dominion. The Sun Sword is about to be delivered by Serra Diora to its “rightful” holder, Valedan, last surviving heir of the clan Leonne. But whether Valedan will be able to wield the sword, or — like the form kai el’Sol — will be consumed by its magic, remains to be seen.
The demon kin are gathering as well, and a dread spell is being worked which will — should it successfully reach completion — finally open the way for the Lord of Night to once again enter the mortal realm.
And though many of the truly powerful have gathered upon the field, the entire course of the future may rest in the hands, heart and soul of one being, Kiriel di’Ashaf, daughter of the Lord of Night….
The fifth novel of the acclaimed Sun Sword series returns to a war-torn world of noble houses divided and demon lords unleashed...
Valedan kai di’Leonne, last survivor of the ruling clan of the Dominion, has forged an alliance with his people’s ancestral enemies, the Northern armies of the Essalieyan Empire. Though young and untried, he has also won the support of Dominion Tyr’agnate Ramiro di’Callesta. Whether he can now do the impossible, and bring Tyr’agnate Mareo di’Lamberto over to his side, remains to be seen. Even with such powerful backers, if Valedan can’t gain possession of the Sun Sword and survive the wielding of it, all will be lost....
Jewel of House Terafin has joined forces with the Voyani, bringing with her the legendary Warlord, Avandar, the bard-assassin, Kallandras, and Lord Celleriant of the Winter Queen’s court. Hunted by the demonic Kialli, they will be hard pressed to escape from the Sea of Sorrows and link up with Valedan’s troops....
In Averalaan, House Terafin is on the brink of a bloody dynastic war—and Jewel’s den is caught in deadly political infighting within the House, forced by command of the Terafin herself to take on the most difficult roles of their lives....
Kiriel, child of the Lord of Darkness and a mortal woman, also must face the greatest challenge of her life, torn between the conflicting demands of her father’s demonic realm and her human heritage....
The Kialli demon lords and their human allies are banding together, too, readying to sweep down upon the Northern armies in a devastating campaign of terror and destruction that will either see peace restored or all the furies of the Hells and the Lord of Darkness himself released upon the world....
The call to arms!
In the Essalieyan Empire, the armies are gathering, ready to champion the cause of Valedan kai di’Leonne, last survivor of the ruling clan of the Dominion. But Valedan himself must take a different road to war, sealing what Dominion alliances he can claim without the Empire’s backing.
Yet even before Valedan sets forth, Jewel of House Terafin has already journeyed beyond mortal realms with only her domicis Avandar to guard her back, walking through flame to join the Voyani on a trek they’ve been destined to make for centuries. Behind her she has left a House on the brink of bloody dynastic war – and her den caught in deadly political infighting.
Kiriel, too, must face the greatest challenge of her life, torn between the conflicting demands of her father’s and her mortal heritage.
And as the Voyani – with Jewel, Avandar, Kallandras, Diora, Teresa, and Lord Celleriant of the Winter Queen’s court – embark upon the Sea of Sorrows in a desperate attempt to reach the lost Cities of Man, a spell gone awry insures that all their enemies – whether of mortal or demonkind – can trace the path they are following and strike out at them at any moment….
In the Dominion, those allied with the demons of the Shining Court feared the bargain they'd made. For to the kialli, betrayal was a way of life, and every action was a means to gain greater power. And as the Festival of the Moon approached, the demon kin began to prey upon those in the Tor Leonne. But more frightening than their presence was their 'gift' for the Festival, masks created not by human craftsmen, but by the kialli. Even the magic and knowledge of the greatest of the Dominion's Widan had been unable to discern what trap the masks contained-and time to discover and avert this menace was running out.
In the Empire, the armies were mobilizing for war. But before they carried the battle to the Dominion, Seer Jewel ATerafin would be forced to follow her own destiny. For what she'd seen in vision, she could not deny. And so Jewel, with only Avander to guard her back, would abandon House Terafin on the eve of its greatest peril and journey into the darkness which was fast overshadowing the mortal lands.
And among the Voyani, the moment had come to make their final stand against Allasakar, Lord of the Hells, for they alone had kept to the old ways, guarding the ancient knowledge. But hounded by their enemies, and with one their greatest treasures hidden in the Tor Leonne, could they withstand the power of the Shining Court?
The King's Challenge-it was a proving ground for warriors in the Essalieyan Empire, the hallowed contest that made legends of men. And for Valedan, last survivor of the ruling family of the Dominion, it was a declaration of his right to claim the throne stolen from the Leonne clan by treachery and assassination.
Failure to earn the title of King's Champion would not deprive Valedan of either his Dominion or Essalieyan allies, but winning would announce to the world that he was no callow boy, no mere pawn in the games of power. And the games of power were indeed being played-not only in the Empire and Dominion, but in the far more dangerous realm of the Lord of Night.
As the time of the Challenge neared, Valedan and all those who guarded him would be hard-pressed to survive long enough for him to enter the competition. For the demon kin had been set to hunt him down and destroy him. They had failed before though many innocents had paid for the price. They must not fail again, for slaying Valedan was but the opening gambit in a war that would free the Lord of Night to reign over all the mortal world . . .
Tor Leonne-the heart of the Dominion of Annagar, where the games of state are about to become a matter of life and death-and where those who seek to seize the crown will be forced to league with a treacherously cunning ally . . .
Tor Leonne, ancestral seat of power, where Serra Diora Maria di'Marano-the most sought-after beauty in the land, a woman betrayed by all she holds dear-may strike the first blow to change the future of the Dominion and Empire alike . . .
Averalaan Aramarelas-that most ancient of civilized cities, the home of the Essalieyan Imperial court, has long been a center of magics both dark and bright. And though the Empire won its last war with the Dominion, and survived a devastating, magic-fueled battle with a far deadlier foe, both those victories were not without their cost . . .
But now the realm is on the brink of a far greater confrontation, faced with an unholy alliance that could spell the end of freedom for all mortalkind.
