And Less Than Kind

Book excerpt: HEIR TO A THRONE¾OR TO A GRAVE When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. And he did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at work: The evil elf lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary's reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen. Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth's death, Mary chose a different path to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. Mary decided to marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary's burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for Mary's child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for Mercedes Lackey: "She'll keep you up long past your bedtime." ¾Stephen King "A writer whose work I've loved all along." ¾Marion Zimmer Bradley "[Lackey is] an undoubted mistress of the well-told tale." ¾Booklist "Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field." ¾ Locus "(Lackey's fantasy] leaves us simultaneously satisfied and longing for more." ¾Realms of Fantasy "[Lackey] packs as much action, suspense and twisting of conventions into one novel as many writers invest in whole trilogies." ¾Amazing Stones Praise for Roberta Gellis: "A superb storyteller of extraordinary talent." ¾John fakes "[Roberta Gellis is] a master of the medieval historical." ¾ Publishers Weekly "One of the romance genre's most formidable talents._._._." ¾ Romantic Times "Ms. Gellis has become an extraordinary mythteller." ¾The Paperback Forum "Let's hope the world of fantasy can steal Gellis from romance novels more often." ¾Science Fiction Chronicle "Roberta Gellis has already established herself as a great author in the |romantic fantasy genre._._._." ¾Affaire de Coeur