from the back cover ~

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 former 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 powerful have gathered upon the field, the entire course of the future may ultimately rest in the hands, heart, and soul of one being, Kiriel di’Ashaf, daughter of the Lord of Night.

First Printing: 2004

Cover art by Jody Lee

from the back cover ~

My blood beat hard in my veins and hammered in my ears, like the sound of bronze wings clashing. And I understood for the first time what it meant that Kushiel, the One God’s punisher, had loved his charges too well…

The son of Terre d’Ange’s most infamous traitors and the adopted son of its greatest champions, Imriel de la Courcel returns from his year at university a little older and a little wiser. But perhaps not wise enough. He and Sidonie, the Queen’s daughter and heir to the throne, begin a torrid, forbidden affair–until Imriel’s obligations as a royal family member compel him to marry an Alban princess.

By choosing duty over love, Imriel and Sidonie transgress their religion’s central precept: Love as thou wilt. And when dark powers in Alba, who fear an invasion by Terre d’Ange, seek to use the lovers’ passion to bind Imriel, the gods themselves take notice.

Before the end, Kushiel’s justice will be felt in heaven and on earth.

First Printing: 2007

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

from the back cover~

The Dance of War….

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 the 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 which will either see peace restored or all the furies of the Hells and the Lord of Darkness himself released upon the world…

First Printing:  2003

Cover art by Jody Lee

from the back cover~

It is whispered that Kushiel’s lineage carries the ability to perceive the flaws in mortal souls, to administer an untender mercy. I sense its presence like a shadow on my soul…the memories of blood and branding and horror, and the legacy of cruelty that runs in my veins. I whisper to myself over and over…

I will try to be good.

Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, while his adoptive parents, Phèdre and Joscelin, are Terre d’Ange’s greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in beauty, art, and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies, and there are many who would see the young prince dead–out of fear that he has inherited his birth mother’s dangerous gifts and craving for power. As he comes of age, plagued by dark yearnings, Imriel shares their fears. Searching for wisdom, the prince is trapped instead in a web of manipulation and murder, where Imriel must face his greatest test: to find his true self.

First printing: 2006

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

from the back cover~

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 any moment…

First Printing:  2001

Cover art by Jody Lee

from the back cover~

The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good … and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre no Delaunay is a woman pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Her path has been strange and dangerous, and through it all the devoted swordsman Joscelin has been at her side. Her very nature is a torturous thing for them both, but he is sworn to her and he has never violated his vow: to protect and serve.

But Phèdre’s plans put Joscelin’s pledge to the test, for she has never forgotten her childhood friend Hyacinthe. She has spent ten long years searching for the key to free him from his eternal indenture, a bargain he struck with the gods–to take Phèdre’s place as a sacrifice and save a nation. Phèdre cannot forgive–herself or the gods. She is determined to seize one last hope to redeem her friend, even if it means her death.

The search will bring Phèdre and Joscelin across the world, to distant courts where madness reigns and souls are currency, and down a fabled river to a land forgotten by most of the world.

And to a power so mighty that none dare speak its name.

First printing: 2003

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

from the back cover~

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 Avandar 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 of their greatest treasures hidden in the Tor Leonne, could they withstand the power of the Shining Court?

First Printing: 1999

Cover art by Jody Lee

from the back cover~

Mighty Kushiel of rod and weal
Late of the brazen portals
With blood-tipp’d dart a wound unhealed
Pricks the eyen of chosen mortals

The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre no Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman, the first to recognize that she is one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. He trained Phèdre in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber–and, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze.

When she stumbled upon a plot that threatened the very foundations of her homeland, she gave up almost every thing she held dear to save it. She survived, and lived to have others tell her story, and if they embellished the tale with fabric of mythical splendor, they weren’t far off the mark.

The hands of the gods weigh heavily upon Phèdre’s brow, and they are not finished with her. While the young queen who sits upon the throne is well loved by the people, there are those who believe another should wear the crown . . . and those who escaped the wrath of the mighty are not yet done with their schemes for power and revenge.

First Printing: 2002

Cover art by John Jude Palencar

from the back cover~

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 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 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.

First Printing: 1998

Cover art by Jody Lee