Showing results by author "David Dalglish" in All Categories

She is Erin Felhorn, the hidden daughter of the legendary Watcher of Veldaren. She is also Erin Gemcroft, inheritor to the wealth of one of the three families of the Trifect...which might have meant something before the east was destroyed in the Gods' War. Her family has sailed west, seeking safety in the lands of Ker, which were spared much of the wrath of the Fallen when the Night of Black Wings befell the world. In their capital city of Angkar, she trains, ever seeking to live up to the stories of her father, Haern.

The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.

Cyrus was only twelve years old when his gods were slain, his country invaded, and his parents—the king and queen—beheaded in front of him. Held prisoner in the invader's court for years, Cyrus is suddenly given a chance to escape and claim his revenge when a mysterious group of revolutionaries comes looking for a figurehead. They need a hero to strike fear into the hearts of the imperial and to inspire and unite the people. They need someone to take up the skull mask and swords and to become the legendary "Vagrant"—an unparalleled hero and assassin of otherworldly skill.

Devin Eveson is a Soulkeeper, traveling through remote villages as a preacher and healer. But when a mysterious black water washes over the world, the veil is torn, flooding the land with ancient magic and forgotten races: fire that dances as if alive, corpses that walk, and creatures that can manipulate time itself. And not all the creatures that have reawakened remember humanity fondly. As the land grows more dangerous and more chaotic, Soulkeepers are turning up dead, their bodies transformed into macabre works of art.

The Everlorn Empire's grip on Thanet is tighter than ever. The God-Incarnate himself has arrived on its shores to crush the struggling rebellion and carry out his final, sinister plan: he will sacrifice the entire island in order to rise, reincarnated from its ashes. The rebellion is struggling to separate allies from enemies, and to figure out a way to stop the slow destruction of everything and everyone they care for. Meanwhile, Cyrus is disappearing deeper beneath the vicious mask of the "Vagrant". Under the mantle of the legendary assassin, he may be strong enough to take down the Empire.

"Prove that you can stand against the darkness and live". In book number four of the Shadowdance series, Haern is the King's Watcher, born an assassin only to become the city of Veldaren's protector against the thief guilds. When Lord Victor Kane attacks the city, determined to stamp out all corruption, foreign gangs pour in amidst the chaos in an attempt to overthrow the current lords of the underworld. And when a mysterious killer known as the Widow begins mutilating thieves, paranoia engulfs the city. Haern knows someone is behind the turmoil, pulling strings.

Their prophet dead and their home lost, the half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun form a strained alliance with a band of mercenaries outside the city of Veldaren. As the brothers and their allies wage a private war against powerful thief guilds, forces greater than them all threaten to tear them apart and ruin any hope for a better life. Harruq must defend his family at all costs, for Qurrah's love of a girl with a shattered mind and the power of a goddess may doom them all.

Six islands float high above the Endless Ocean, where humanity's final remnants are locked in brutal civil war. Their parents slain in battle, twins Kael and Brenna Skyborn are training to be Seraphim, elite soldiers of aerial combat who wield elements of ice, fire, stone, and lightning. When the invasion comes, they will take to the skies and claim their vengeance.

From USA Today best-selling author David Dalglish. One has conquered a city. The other covets an entire nation. In book number three of the Shadowdance series, Haern is the King's Watcher, protector against thieves and nobles who would fill the night with blood. Yet hundreds of miles away, an assassin known as the Wraith has begun slaughtering those in power, leaving the symbol of the Watcher in mockery. When Haern travels south to confront this copycat, he finds a city ruled by the corrupt, the greedy and the dangerous.

Five hundred years ago, brother gods devastated their world with civil war. When they were imprisoned, their conflict ended without a victor. Centuries passed while their followers secretly continued the war, a war that will soon have an end. The gods have found their paragons. When half-bloods Harruq and Qurrah Tun pledged their lives to the death prophet Velixar, they sought only escape from their squalid beginnings. Instead they become his greatest disciples, charged with leading his army of undead.

The portal is open, and war demons pour into the world of Dezrel, with every intention of burning the land to ash. Harruq Tun leads the survivors of the broken kingdom of Neldar, hoping to find safety in the west. But it will take the aid of his wife and friends to hold back the army of his brother, Qurrah, that gives chase. The dark god Karak nears his total victory and release, and the fate of the world will be decided by Harruq's strength as the vile army of demons, priests, and undead nears.

Magical creatures are attacking the capital city, seeking to retake what was once theirs, and no one is safe. Ancient cultists have cursed the highest members of the Church, turning them into twisted abominations. The only hope for a cure lies with Adria Eveson. To learn the cure, she must befriend an imprisoned cultist, and guard her heart against his seductive promises and twisted logic.

The war god Thulos marches across the world of Dezrel, recruiting soldiers into his demon army and annihilating all who stand against him. With the aid of three Kings, Harruq Tun and his friends must save the nation of Mordan, whose priest-king has sworn to the dark god and will summon whatever nightmarish creatures necessary to maintain rule. Once freed, they can turn their attention east, to the war god's approach. Before the walls of Mordeina, and high above in the golden city of Avlimar, the last survivors make their stand to stop a world of death and conquest.

Five years have passed since the death of the war god, and now, angels watch over the land. It should be a time of peace and prosperity. It is not. With King Antonil marching east to retake his former lands from the orcs, Harruq Tun is thrust into a position of power he is completely unprepared for, leaving many plotting to usurp the throne for their own ends.

In Book 5 of the Shadowdance series... a night of fire and blood heralds Muzien the Darkhand's arrival to Veldaren. With him comes the might of the Sun Guild, eager to spread their criminal empire. Left blind after being attacked by the Widow, Alyssa Gemcroft struggles to hold together the remnants of the Trifect as the Sun Guild's arrival threatens to shatter whatever future her son might have left.

After a bloody conflict with his brother, Qurrah Tun flees west with his lover, the strange and powerful Tessanna. He seeks a powerful tome known as Darakken's spellbook, guarded by paladins and priests of light. Qurrah hopes to cure Tessanna's madness, but his newly returned master, Velixar, has far greater plans for the tome. Only Harruq Tun and his friends can stand against the darkness his brother has unleashed.

The war between the thief guilds and the powerful allegiance known as the Trifect has slowly dwindled. Now only the mysterious Haern is left to wage his private battle against the guilds in the guise of the Watcher - a vicious killer who knows no limits. But when the son of Alyssa Gemcroft, one of the three leaders of the Trifect, is believed murdered, the slaughter begins anew. Mercenaries flood the streets with one goal in mind: Find and kill the Watcher.

The final installment of the Shadowdance series finds Haern the Watcher returning to his beloved city of Veldaren, only to find it has collapsed into chaos. The Sun Guild has conquered the former thief guilds, destroying the peace Haern fought so hard to obtain. The Trifect is their next target, and Alyssa Gemcroft must reach out to whatever allies she can obtain, even if it means casting aside longtime friends. As the chaos grows, so does the power of the dark god Karak who lays siege to Veldaren. If the city falls, the world will suffer greatly.

Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. All the thieves' guilds of the city are under his unflinching control. If he has his way, death will soon spill out from the shadows and into the streets. Aaron is Thren's son, trained to be heir to his father's criminal empire. He's cold, ruthless - everything an assassin should be. But when Aaron risks his life to protect a priest's daughter from his own guild, he glimpses a world beyond piston, daggers, and the iron rule of his father.

Cyrus wants out. Trained to be an assassin in order to oust the invading Empire from his kingdom, Cyrus is now worried the price of his vengeance is too high. His old master has been keeping too many secrets to be trusted. And the mask he wears to hide his true identity and become the legendary "Vagrant" has started whispering to him in the dark. But the fight isn't over and the Empire has sent its full force to bear upon Cyrus's floundering revolution. He'll have to decide once and for all whether to become the thing he fears or lose the country he loves.