James Lever

Reign of Blood James Lever

Previously operating behind the scenes, the off-worlders decide the time is ripe to make a pre-emptive strike on Drake's Isle and thus create a bridgehead in readiness for a full-scale invasion of Estieven's world. Self-taught in the manipulation of arcane majjik to his own ends, Estieven rises to the challenge but, despite a dire warning from the Goddess who measures and cuts the thread of life, he continues to make extensive use of a sorcerous artefact in pursuance of his self-appointed role as defender of The Five Kingdoms. But another - a far greater threat is about to be unleashed into Estieven's world. Conceived by the Dark Abbess of Url, the seeds of a diabolic plot are about to hatch; one that will destabilise the neighbouring state of Saurin and thus jeopardise the life of Estieven's eldest sister, Bethany, Empress of Saurin. The plot is subtle: Bethany is not the direct target for the attack - blood majjik has been unleashed on the Mattaaspa, on whom Bethany's husband, Abdolan's claim to the Emperor's throne depends. By means of her mastery of the arcane arts and that of her daughter, Kleo Beth, and with the aid of allies she has managed to culture over the years, Bethany finds herself fighting for her very life and for the lives of her family. One unanticipated fall-out from this conflict is the capture of the Dark Abbess' Nuncia - not a blood witch herself, but a woman that schemes and operates in the background and orchestrates the deployment of the witches. But retribution is both brutal and swift - a reign of blood is about to engulf The Five Kingdoms and her immediate neighbours.