Nightblade Epic

Loren's dagger holds incredible power-but something keeps her from using it. Loren dreams of escaping her cruel parents and becoming a great thief: Nightblade, a warrior of darkness and a champion of the light. Following the fugitive sorcerer Xain out of her forest home, she wears a stolen noble's cloak of fine black cloth and carries a dagger the world has not seen in centuries-a blade that can turn enemies to allies when she least expects it. Yet something keeps her from using that dagger to take a life. Soon she crosses paths with the smuggler family of Yerrin, invoking their wrath by stealing their most precious treasure. Yerrin's reach is long, and they will not stop until they silence Loren forever. If she can survive, Loren may become the most infamous thief in the world. But if she fails, she will be only the first to burn in a war that threatens all the nine lands.

Perhaps not surprisingly given how advanced they were in comparison to contemporaries, the Egyptians invented one of the first writing systems ever, and for centuries, people thought these ancient texts held some sort of secret, be it aliens, advanced technology lost to the world, or mystical cures for all of the world's ills. Even the ancient Egyptians saw their writing systems as full of mystery and hidden knowledge - according to Egyptian mythology, writing was invented by the ibis-headed god Thoth, the most intellectual of the gods. He was a scribe, also associated with mathematics, medicine, and astronomy, and could appear as either an ibis or a baboon. Thoth was originally a lunar god, strongly associated with recording events and time. He is more commonly known as the scribe who records judgment in the famous weighing of the heart scene in which a person's fate in the afterlife is decided To the Egyptians, writing was a gift of the gods and should be used accordingly. It was powerful and had the ability to create. For example, written formula offerings could provide sustenance in multiple ways, including being written, depicting the offerings, and read aloud. Each of these methods brought offerings to the recipient for all of eternity. Speaking words was especially powerful as shown in myths where the gods create in this fashion. One such myth is the "Memphite Theology," where the creator god Ptah creates other beings through the "thoughts of his heart and the words of his mouth." Furthermore, writing a person or a god's name gave them power, and erasing their names took the power away. By placing his name on it, a person or king could usurp a statue from someone else. Since writing was hieroglyphic, it was also art, and the images held power. This is evidenced by signs or images being disfigured in tombs or funerary settings, so as not to hurt the owners.

Derek has big dreams, but the grownups in his life aren't onboard. That doesn't dissuade him, though. He's determined to make his dream of flying a reality, even if the journey won't be easy, because he knows if he believes, he can do anything. I Know I Can Fly is the story of a young boy, filled with determination and willpower, as he learns to ignore the naysayers to reach a big goal.

DESOLATE UPON THE ROAD, LOREN MUST FEND FOR HERSELF The saga of the Nightblade continues across the nine kingdoms. Loren is listless in the wind. Though the Shades have been revealed, the cost of that knowledge seems too heavy to bear. And once again Xain is clutched by the tremors of magestone sickness, giving her the excuse she needs to simply...not go on. But now that the Shades have been found, they will not let Loren rest. If the Mystics learn what she knows, all the Shades' dark schemes could be thrown into disarray. Northwood will be the first town to burn under their icy fury, but as they hunt for Loren on the road to Feldemar, it will not be the last.

The Nightblade Epic is a fantasy story of iconic characters, intricate magic, and far-ranging adventure in an addictive fantasy world. Loren did not ask for the dagger at her waist. She did not ask to be born to cruel parents. And she did not ask to be drawn into a conflict that threatens more harm than she can possibly imagine. After fifteen years of toil, when her dreams of adventure have very nearly died out, a spark arrives to rekindle them. A half-glimpsed coat of blue, dodging through the trees of the Birchwood. A wizard. A fugitive. Escape. Loren will seek her fortune across all the nine kingdoms. But if she dies trying to earn it, she will be only the first to burn in a war that threatens all of Underrealm.