A Lion's Pride

Book excerpt: Wound a lion’s pride, and you will feel their claws. When Plas, defiant King of Ipithyia, insults Wely, proud King of Lynchun, Wely needs no further provocation for invading the realm of his long time enemy. As Wely’s lord of battle, Othrun of Eastrealm is charged to destroy Plas and conquer Ipithyia. This, despite Othrun winning a hard-earned peace with Plas, by sparing him from death, years before. But other ambitious warlords vie to seize Ipithyia for themselves. Othrun faces bitter combat on multiple fronts, intrigue, and the mysterious powers of Eltnish mages like Queen Lysi. Who still has securing Othrun’s love, and her own plans for conquest, squarely in her sights. Othrun will require the aid of his own mage, the enigmatic Viwa, to combat his foes who can deploy mages of their own. For Othrun’s mysterious spiritual guide appears to have deserted him. Othrun is forced to rely more and more on pagan magic—magic he is supposed to disavow as heresy—rather than his Single God. Othrun’s armies are led by heroes who seem destined to become legends, such as Othrun’s son the Younger, Ingersa, Glathan, Thurol, Yedwol, Eld, Centi, and the fiery and skilled yet untested She-Wolf of Carthlughe, Hiris, also known as the Haughty Princess. Yet even all those great warriors won’t be enough to ensure triumph. And Othrun will need to prevent temptation, doubt, and his mercurial nature, putting his once staunch faith, and his allegiances, in jeopardy. But before Othrun can grapple with all these challenges, he must confront dark secrets that could not only destroy his shaky beliefs, but also destroy Othrun himself.