Edges of the World: An Anthology of Otherness
Page 13
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The Tribute
The only light is that which you take with you.
Caught between two warring nations, the village of Rackan has teetered on the brink for generations, its folk eking out a living on the edge of the Contested Lands. Now, a third power has turned its eye upon the helpless villagers. When the moon rises, the demonic whispering ones stalk the streets, spiriting folk away to the court of twisted Jack, lord of cursed Fellhallow.
When her father's pleas to the Tressian army fall upon deaf ears, Mira Torinsal agrees to bring tribute to Lord Jack, and plead with him to spare Rackan and its people. But no one goes to Fellhallow. At least, no one goes there and returns...
A Matter of Belief
"You can end up seeing the world as you want to see it, rather than how it really is."
In the city of Tressia, the last vestiges of Lumestran belief have been all but supplanted by the worship of Sidara, Lady of Light. However, change is not welcomed by all.
When a prominent Sidarist is found murdered, suspicion falls upon the outlawed remnants of the Lumestran faith. Sergeant Erika Nierev must catch the killer before the Sidarists take matters into their own hands. But Tressia is a city of secrets – secrets that will not be easily brought out into the light...
Queen of Eventide
"How can you possibly prevail, when even your friends are your enemies?"
Maddie Lincoln returns home to Nottingham, struggling to get to grips with a life that's falling apart. However, her workaday problems quickly fade when she's caught up in a war between the malevolent Dark Lady and her enemies. As the Dark Lady's influence grows, Maddie is pursued across the city and the mysterious realm of Eventide by a sinister Huntsman and his monstrous pack of hollows.
Aided by her friend Inga, eccentric fortune teller Charles King, and the enigmatic William, she manages to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. Even with their help, neither world is safe for her; Eventide is full of hidden dangers, and vicious riots are breaking out in Nottingham as the Dark Lady's power rises. Worse, none of Maddie's companions are exactly as they appear, and nor, Maddie learns, is she. Can Maddie discover the truth about the Queen of Eventide before it's too late...?
Shadow of the Raven
"Don't worry... You're not going to die. Not yet."
When Ambassador Edric Saran becomes the chief suspect in a murder, he joins forces with a Tressian noblewoman to bring the real killer to account. But Edric soon realises the murder was only one strand in a tangled web of mortal and immortal scheming.
Hunted by the law, and pursued by vengeful servants of half-forgotten gods, Edric soon learns that there’s much more at stake than clearing his name. Will he discover the truth before the Shadow of the Raven descends upon the world, and the war between the living and the dead begins?
Light of the Radiant
Arrogance is more dangerous than a sword.
At long last, there is peace between the Tressian Republic and the Hadari Empire. But it is not welcomed by all. Leaders from both realms watch their counterparts with suspicion, expecting the swift return of the centuries-long war. But mortals are not the only ones readying for strife. Deep below the Contested Lands, cultists labour to rouse ancient evils from slumber. In the skies above, the legendary serathi, handmaidens of the Radiant, have at last returned from their self-imposed exile. But why now?
Once again, it falls to Edric Saran and his allies to unravel the mystery before it's too late. The Light of the Radiant has the power to change everything, but at what cost?