Crown of Stars

It begins with civil war . . . Torn by internal strife, Wendar faces deadly raids from the north by an inhuman race, the Eika. And now terrifying portents are being seen; old ruins restored to life under the light of the full moon and peopled by the long-vanished Lost Ones; dark spirits walking the land in broad daylight. And suddenly two innocents are about to be thrust into the middle of the conflict. Liath, who has spent her early years fleeing from unknown enemies, is a young woman with the power to change the course of history if she can only learn to master her fear and seize what is rightfully hers. While Alain, a young man who may find his future in a vision granted by the Lady of Battles, must first unravel the mystery of who he is-whether the bastard son of a noble father, the half-breed child of an elfin lord, the unwanted get of a whore, or the heir to a proud and ancient lineage. Liath and Alain, each trapped in a personal struggle for survival, both helplessly being drawn into a far greater battle, a war in which sorcery not swords will determine the final outcome, and the land itself may be irrevocably reshaped by the forces unleashed . . .

Prince of Dogs returns listeners to the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, and the intertwined destinies of Alain, raised in humble surroundings but now the Count's heir; Liath, who struggles to unravel the secrets of her past while evading the traps set for her by those seeking the treasure she hides; Sanglant, believed dead by those who could save him, but actually a prisoner in the city of Gent; and Fifth Son, who now builds an army to do his father's bidding-or his own!

It is a crucial time in the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, a moment when even one wrong decision can tilt the balance of events into total disaster. For Sanglant-King Henry's son-and Liath-the woman he loves-the offer of both a haven from their enemies and the chance for Liath to study the ancient lore with those who claim her as their own, seems like the answer they have been seeking. But no place can truly be safe for them. Both their lives and their love will be at risk when they are forced to choose which pathway each will follow-lured by the equally strong demands of politics, forbidden knowledge, and family. Liath, born with a dangerous power beyond her control, is torn between her longing for Sanglant and the child they are about to have and the call of sorcery, which can open the way into the land of the Aoi, the Lost Ones. And even as Liath struggles with magic's seductive spell, Sanglant's Aoi mother returns to the mortal world, seeking the son she abandoned as a babe. As the fates of kingdoms shift with the changing fortunes of those caught up in the dangers of both civil war and continuing attacks by the nonhuman Eika and the Quman invaders, time is running out for Liath, Sanglant, King Henry, and the people of Wendar and Varre.

Far beyond the borders of Wendar and Varre, Alain, Liath, Sanglant, and King Henry must make their separate journeys, following twisting roads which will nevertheless lead them all to one fated moment in time... Alain is caught in a desperate struggle for survival even as he finds himself unwittingly drawn into the heart of an ancient conflict between humankind and the Cursed Ones... Liath faces her most difficult trial in a land of exile. Only there can she hope to discover her true parentage and the nature and extent of her unique powers... The bastard prince Sanglant is determined to seek out his father, King Henry, and bring warning of the conspiracy of sorcerers who've sworn to put an end to the Aoi, the Lost Ones - no matter how much destruction may be unleashed by their workings of magic... But King Henry's attention is on the throne of Aosta and the imperial crown, unclaimed for two generations. Even as a Quman army ravages the Wendish countryside, Henry marches south, ignoring the pleas of his beleaguered subjects... And as the tides of war and magic wreak havoc across the lands, the great Cataclysm, long foretold in the stars, draws inexorably closer...

The long-dreaded cataclysm is about to descend on the world as the lost land of the Aoi returns to the Earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And though Liath has found her way back to Earth, she knows disaster will soon follow her. Yet just how little time remains to avert humanity's destruction she discovers to her horror only when she learns that her brief stay in the bespelled land has actually kept her from her family and allies for nearly four years. In that time, Sanglant has mobilized an army and journeyed to the land of the griffins, intent on forging an alliance to stand against the forces which are determined to rework the spell that originally exiled the Aoi and their lands from the world. Alain, caught up by Liath as she makes her way back to her own world and time, has been returned to the present bereft of all that matters to him. And though for a while he finds refuge in a monastery, he is soon condemned to a terrible fate. His only hope of rescue lies with the Eika leader Stronghand, who has begun a campaign of conquest into the human lands. And even as these diverse forces struggle to avert total ruin, the mathematici, led by Anne and Hugh, strive to recreate the original spell which exiled the ancient Aoi, neither knowing nor caring that their magical workings could tear their world apart...

The lost land of the Aoi has returned to the earth from which it was cast forth millennia ago. And though the battle for survival must be the primary focus, there are always those eager to seize power. Though King Henry demanded that Prince Sanglant accept his crown, many may refuse to honor the dying king's wish. Liath, Sanglant's wife, has been excommunicated and unless he agrees to put her aside, his own aunt, Mother Scholastica, is threatening to interdict Sanglant. And though he and Liath long to search for their missing daughter, the demands of statecraft hold them hostage to Sanglant's court. Henry's wife is determined to regain control of their empire. But she has let Antonia proclaim herself the new skopos. And Antonia has already proved herself a dangerous ally. The Aoi are divided between those who seek to rebuild and warriors determined to claim revenge against the humans. Stronghand, too, is consolidating his gains for his empire, drawn in part by the bond he still shares with Alain. And even as Liath seeks out the forbidden magic that could bring back the light of day, new alliances are forming and old ones being abandoned. Only time will tell who will emerge triumphant.

Set in an alternate Europe where bloody conflicts rage, the final book of the Crown of Stars epic fantasy series concludes the world-shaking conflict for the survival of humanity In the wake of the cataclysm that has reshaped the very lands, Sanglant is struggling to legitimize his own rulership and Liath's status as his wife and consort, even as others are leaguing against him . . . The Aoi are carrying out random attacks on the humans and implicating Sanglant as their leader . . . While Liath, searching for forbidden magics, is unexpectedly beset by enemies she may not be able to withstand . . . Stronghand is on a march of conquest that will inevitably lead into the heart of Sanglant's realm . . . Adelheid has made an unholy alliance with the treacherous Antonia, who, with the deadly galla at her command, is prepared to strike at Liath, Sanglant, or anyone who threatens her plans . . . Sabella and Duke Conrad have also marshaled their forces and are moving to seize the crown from Sanglant . . . And Alain must take his own stand against the Lady of Battles if he is to have any hope of redeeming this war- and magic-torn world . . .