War of the Twelve

Some Things Must Never Be Forgotten Over 400 years ago, twelve great warriors united the beleaguered armies of men and scoured the war-torn lands of evil, pushing the enemy back into the underground pits and caverns from whence they came. To ensure their legacy, each of the Twelve founded fortress monasteries to impart their unique knowledge of war and politics to a select few, the Knights of the Twelve. But now the last of the Twelve have long since passed from history to legend and the Knights, their numbers dwindling, are harbouring a dark and terrible secret that must be protected at all costs. Merad Reed has spent half his life guarding a great crater known as the Pit, yearning for some escape from the bleak monotony. Then the arrival of Aldarin, one of the few remaining Knights of the Twelve, sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will change Reed forever. To the north, Jelaïa del Arelium, heiress to the richest of the nine Baronies, must learn to navigate the swirling political currents of her father's court if she hopes one day to take his place. But the flickering flames of ambition hide the shadow of an even greater threat. And deep within the earth, something is stirring.

They Have Returned. The siege of Arelium has been broken, but only at a great and terrible cost. The Baron has fallen, the unsuspecting victim of an intricate web of lies devised to drive a wedge between Arelium and the coastal Barony of Kessrin. Merad Reed, scarred and disillusioned, is haunted by the tragic deaths of the men under his command. When all contact is lost with the Old Guard of Morlak, he reluctantly travels north to investigate, only to find the truth is far worse than anything he could have imagined. After narrowly escaping an attempt on her own life, Jelaïa del Arelium is struggling to understand her emerging abilities, and the crippling addiction that comes with them. The priestesses of Brachyura may hold the answers she seeks, but after years of protecting the secrets of the Twelve can they still be trusted? Lord Praxis, now acting as Regent, must face the unforeseen consequences of his own machinations when a simple dagger leads him from the shining towers of Kessrin to the tempestuous Sea of Sorrow, and a terrifying new threat. Meanwhile, somewhere on a dusty road far from civilisation, an ancient demi-god is slowly coming to meet them. He has awoken from decades of slumber to fulfil his one last purpose … Lay waste to the lands of men. "After an explosive first novel, this gripping second instalment continues the War of the Twelve series, weaving an addictive tale of hidden mysteries, dangerous magic, and vicious battles."

Every Truth Has Its Cost. War ravages the troubled lands of the nine Baronies. The once-great cities of Arelium, Kessrin, and Talth are forever scarred by the passage of the greyling tide, their graveyards filled with the corpses of those who fought and died on their blood-stained walls. Surrounded and exhausted, the fragile alliance of men must wager all on a final, daring plan: to find and destroy the creatures' leader, an enigmatic entity known as the weaver. One of the Twelve, Makara, may hold the key to the weaver's location, but he too is missing, lost somewhere in the remote Barony of Klief. The tattered remains of the human armies have no choice but to follow Makara's trail north, pursued by a relentless horde of greylings. At their head rides Zygos, his god-like intellect transferred into the body of the traitor Praxis. The town of Klief beckons, as friend and foe alike are drawn to its dim light. It is here, before its golden gates, that the War of the Twelve will be decided. It is here that an ancient evil will rise … And heroes will fall.