Jeff Wheeler

In the ancient and mystical land of Muirwood, Lia has known only a life of servitude. Labeled a “wretched,” an outcast unwanted and unworthy of respect, Lia is forbidden to realize her dream to read or write. All but doomed, her days are spent toiling away as a kitchen slave under the charge of the Aldermaston, the Abbey’s watchful overseer. But when an injured squire named Colvin is abandoned at the kitchen’s doorstep, an opportunity arises. The nefarious Sheriff Almaguer soon starts a manhunt for Colvin, and Lia conspires to hide Colvin and change her fate. In the midst of a land torn by a treacherous war between a ruthless king and a rebel army, Lia finds herself on an ominous journey that will push her to wonder if her own hidden magic is enough to set things right. At once captivating, mysterious, and magic-infused, The Wretched of Muirwood takes the classic fantasy adventure and paints it with a story instantly epic, and yet, all its own.

A young woman’s burgeoning powers make her Muirwood’s most wanted in a breathtaking novel by Jeff Wheeler, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Druid. Eilean is rising. A foundling raised in an abbey, she was entrusted by its imprisoned druid, Mordaunt, with an ancient tome. Its magical words can change the world. Eilean’s first translate it. Her rescue a benevolent Aldermaston sentenced to death as a heretic by the High Seer. But wielding power, knowledge, and ambition has now made Eilean the hunted. In pursuit is Captain Hoel Evnissyen, an inquisitor in service to the High Seer’s demands. His objective is to track Eilean and steal Mordaunt’s invaluable work. But Hoel’s quest soon yields a fascination with the woman he’s been ordered to pursue. When an invasion begins and the world erupts in chaos, Eilean and Hoel find themselves bound by their mutual wills to survive and, against all odds, realize they are not each other’s enemy. But now Eilean must decide who is friend and who is foe. Especially when the powerful tome falls into the wrong hands. The closer Eilean and Hoel get, the nearer they are to realizing the part they must play in their kingdom’s destiny—and its ties to Eilean’s own mysterious past.

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain Series comes the first novel in a bold and richly imagined world. Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society. Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family. Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity. Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing. But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds. French Version: Dans cette aventure entre ciel et terre, où les manoirs flottent au milieu des nuages grâce à une magie énigmatique, faites la connaissance de Cettie et Séra, deux jeunes filles aussi courageuses qu’ingénieuses aux destinées hors du commun.Il existe deux mondes.L’un a conquis les nuages.L’autre a sombré dans le brouillard. Abandonnée alors qu’elle était enfant, Cettie vit le ventre creux, dans la peur des fantômes qu’elle semble être la seule à voir. Elle réside dans le monde d’en bas, jusqu’à ce qu’un vice-amiral fortuné l’en délivre, lui offrant la vie dont elle a toujours rêvé, tout là-haut dans les nuages. Là où les manoirs flottent dans le ciel grâce à une magie énigmatique et où les privilégiés mènent des vies de rois. Séra est la petite-fille de l’Empereur. Toutes envient sa place. Pourtant, seule avec sa gouvernante et ses parents, la jeune princesse n’a qu’un désir : explorer le monde qu’elle aperçoit tout juste depuis sa fenêtre. La vie des deux jeunes filles est sur le point de changer à jamais.

The Scourge of Muirwood is the final installment of the Muirwood Trilogy. Upon discovering she is the lost heir of Pry-Ree, Lia is forced to leave the protection of Muirwood once again. She embarks upon a perilous journey across the kingdom where she avoids capture and begs passage on a ship bound to Dahomey. Lia's safety is in further jeopardy when she finally reaches Dochte Abbey and learns the hetaera have taken control. Lia must gather all her strength and muster the courage to defeat them, for if she fails, the consequence would be a world in ruin and the shattered lives of those she loves.

Against all odds, Owen Kiskaddon grew from frightened boy to confident youth to trusted officer in the court of Kingfountain—and watched its regent, Severn Argentine, grow ever more ruthless and power-mad. Robbed of his beloved protector, his noble mentor, and his true love, Owen has anticipated the day when the king he fears and reviles, yet loyally serves, will be toppled. Now, as Severn plots a campaign of conquest, the time has come to take action…and Owen’s destiny demands that he lead the strike. Ordered to incite war with a neighboring kingdom, Owen discovers its beautiful, reclusive ruler, whose powerful magic might even exceed his own. Together they mount a daring plot to overthrow the corrupt monarch, crown the rightful heir, and defeat the prophesied curse threatening Kingfountain with wintry death. But Severn’s evil is as bottomless as the fabled Deep Fathoms. To keep his ill-gotten throne, he’ll gladly spill the blood of enemies and innocents alike.

An evil queen and a deadly plague threaten to destroy the kingdom of Muirwood. Rising from her humble beginnings as a lost orphan of Muirwood Abbey, Lia is summoned to return as the Abbey’s protector and special guardian for Ellowyn Demont, the lost heir of the fallen kingdom of Pry-Ree. After the death of the ruthless king at the battle of Winterrowd, the great Aldermaston and Abbey leader calls on Lia to use her mystical talents to save Muirwood from two new threats―a vengeful queen accusing the Aldermaston of her husband’s death, and a deadly plague threatening to destroy the land. Amidst the turmoil, a battle ensues, and soon Lia learns the world’s magic has begun to falter. As a blanket of dread envelops the Abbey, hopes are tested and Lia will be forced to come to terms with a secret that will change her life forever. Revised This edition of The Blight of Muirwood includes editorial revisions.

King Severn Argentine’s fearsome reputation precedes him: usurper of the throne, killer of rightful heirs, ruthless punisher of traitors. Attempting to depose him, the Duke of Kiskaddon gambles…and loses. Now the duke must atone by handing over his young son, Owen, as the king’s hostage. And should his loyalty falter again, the boy will pay with his life. Seeking allies and eluding Severn’s spies, Owen learns to survive in the court of Kingfountain. But when new evidence of his father’s betrayal threatens to seal his fate, Owen must win the vengeful king’s favor by proving his worth—through extraordinary means. And only one person can aid his desperate cause: a mysterious woman, dwelling in secrecy, who truly wields power over life, death, and destiny.

Though relations between Princess Seraphin Fitzempress and her father have been strained, Sera’s royal position has remained unchallenged. Filled with self-doubt, she struggles to grasp the Mysteries—her greatest trial yet. An education in the enigmatic magic is a necessary one, should Sera plan to rise in her station and invoke her powers during war. But the emperor’s death now leaves both Sera and her ambitious father eligible for the throne—a contest the prince regent intends to win. Even if it means an alliance with a rival empire. Sera’s hope lies in Cettie, a waif raised in the world below, whose life has intertwined with Sera’s in the most unexpected ways. The Mysteries come easily to Cettie, and her studies have begun to yield new insight into her growing powers. But those same powers put Cettie in the path of those who would destroy her. Now as the threat of war ignites and an insidious sickness spreads throughout the kingdom, Sera and Cettie will need to gather their courage and fight for each other’s lives… and for the future of their endangered world.

Owen Kiskaddon first came to the court of the formidable King Severn as a prisoner, winning favor with the stormy monarch by masquerading as a boy truly blessed by the Fountain. Nine years hence, the once-fearful Owen has grown into a confident young man, mentored in battle and politics by Duke Horwath and deeply in love with his childhood friend, the duke’s granddaughter. But the blissful future Owen and Elysabeth Mortimer anticipate seems doomed by the king’s machinations.A pretender to Severn’s throne has vowed to seize the crown of Kingfountain. But Severn means to combat the threat by using Elysabeth as bait to snare the imposter—and forcing Owen, as a pawn in the dangerous charade, to choose between duty and devotion. With poisoners and spies circling ominously, and war looming on the horizon, Owen must make painful sacrifices to beat back the advancing shadows of death and disaster. Will Owen’s conflicted heart follow the king’s path or will he risk everything for love?

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler continues his majestic Harbinger series in a world where motivations are as mysterious as magic. For three years, Sera Fitzempress has been a pawn in a gilded prison—the floating manor of Pavenham Sky. Disgraced and exiled from society, she has been isolated from the downtrodden she’s determined to liberate. But although Sera may seem subservient on the outside, the stubborn princess has only become emboldened. Now in charge of her family’s estate, Cettie Pratt has grown into an independent young woman, although she continues to be tested by the high society of the clouds. Advancing in the magic of the Mysteries, Cettie is also a useful tool of defense during turbulent times. However, as more of Cettie’s mysterious past comes to light, her greatest challenge may be a reckless stranger with a dark secret. The fog of war is drawing in, and with it comes a startling new enemy who may unravel secrets that both women would prefer stay hidden. But their secrets may be the only way to stop the coming darkness…

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. A brutal war of succession has plunged the court of Kingfountain into a power struggle between a charitable king who took the crown unlawfully and his ambitious rival, Devon Argentine. The balance of power between the two men hinges on the fate of a young boy ensnared in this courtly intrigue. A boy befittingly nicknamed Ransom. When the Argentine family finally rules, Ransom must make his own way in the world. Opportunities open and shut before him as he journeys along the path to knighthood, blind to a shadowy conspiracy of jealousy and revenge. Securing his place will not be easy, nor will winning the affection of Lady Claire de Murrow, a fiery young heiress from an unpredictably mad kingdom. Ransom interrupts an abduction plot targeting the Queen of Ceredigion and earns a position in service to her son, the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. But conflict and treachery threaten the family, and Ransom must also come to understand and hone his burgeoning powers—abilities that involve more than his mastery with a blade and that make him as much a target as his lord.

Time is running out as an apocalyptic prophecy comes to bear in a breathtaking thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler. As a plague of the gods spreads throughout the world, two men face the end times on opposing sides of good and evil. It began as a death-defying ritual in the Yucatán. Jonathon Roth and his family were pawns in an inconceivable endgame. Jacob Calakmul was its depraved and mystifying mastermind destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy, destroy the government, and bring about his personal Armageddon. Exposing the unbelievable truth to the authorities has made Roth’s life a nightmare. Roth is under FBI protection in DC. His sons may be safe, but his wife has disappeared, and his daughter, Suki—a girl gifted with a special magic—is now Calakmul’s captive. She and her father are the keys to making Calakmul’s plot a horrifying reality. It’s already in motion. A deadly plague released in Cozumel and rooted in ancient mythology will wipe out cities across the globe so fast it’s impossible to imagine the near future. But Calakmul can. His prophesized end of days is here. And only Roth and Suki can stop it. To save their family, and all of humanity, what will Roth and his daughter risk? And what must they sacrifice in a final match with the ascending ruler of a terrifying new world order?

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler: Ankarette Tryneowy is now the best poisoner in all the lands. Feared by enemies abroad and even those in her own kingdom, she has risen to the pinnacles of power and influence at the court in Kingfountain. But when news comes that the rival of the Queen is dead, Ankarette must go on her most dangerous mission yet. To prove whether a war of succession fought years before is truly over or whether a new threat is about to emerge from the shadows. For some will stop at nothing to satisfy their thirst for revenge, even if they must reach beyond the grave to do it.

What if you knew a story that you could tell no one-except one person? The Duke of La Marche is being held prisoner in a tower over a friendship he never tried to hide. As confidant to the famous Maid of Donremy, the duke should have been a hero. Instead, he was locked up by his king and called a traitor. But this betrayal no longer matters to the duke. What does matter is a promise he made to a young girl-to the Maid. For the Maid had been but a girl once-a girl with a name and her own astonishing story-as he had been but a boy. He knows that one day, when he is old and frail, another girl, a poisoner, will come looking for him. And he will keep his promise-he will reveal to her the Maid's mystery so that destiny will be fulfilled. When Ankarette, the queen's poisoner, arrives in enemy territory on a quest for the Maid's magic sword, little does she realize that she's been chosen-or that the duke's story will alter the fabric of her mission-and the impending war about to tear two kingdoms apart.

Before she befriended a frightened young boy in the palace of Kingfountain, Ankarette Tryneowy grew up during the shattering civil war that raged between members of the Argentine family. This is the story of how the only daughter of a lawyer and a midwife became the famed Queen’s Poisoner. Recruited by King Eredur’s ambitious uncle, Ankarette is thrown into a world of double dealing, deception, and tangled loyalties. With the help of her mentor and friend, Sir Thomas, she must learn to trust her instincts and remember that others will not always be loyal, even when they are of the same blood. But involving herself in the machinations of the realm draws the eye of an enemy more dangerous than kings or dukes. How will she navigate the politics of the realm and the desires of her heart to become the woman she needs to become?

In a stand-alone series set in the world of Muirwood, eighteen-year-old Maia is the exiled princess of Comoros and heir to the throne. As a result of her father’s ceaseless need for authority, she was left disinherited and forced to live as a servant in her enemy’s home. When the king invites chaos into the land by expelling the magical order known as the Dochte Mandar, Maia finds herself on a perilous quest to save her people. To survive, she must use magic she has learned in secret—despite the fact that women are forbidden to control it. Hunted by enemies at every turn, Maia realizes that danger lurks within her, too. Her powers threaten to steal not only her consciousness but also her sense of right and wrong. Can she set herself free and save the realm she loves—even if that realm has forgotten her?

Tyrus of Kenatos has made it his life’s work to banish the plagues that ravage the kingdoms. He believes the answer to ending the devastation lies in the Scourgelands. Yet, Tyrus’s first expedition into the cursed woods failed after being defeated by mysterious minions who stalked and killed most of his band. Now a prisoner in his own tower, Tyrus has summoned his nephew Annon—a Druidecht possessing innate magic called the fireblood—on the guise of finding a hidden treasure with which to purchase his twin sister Hettie’s freedom. But in reality, Tyrus is using his niece and nephew, and their magic, as an opportunity to escape and resume his desperate mission. And to aid them, he has enlisted the warrior-monk Paedrin—who is almost as green as the siblings when it comes to traveling these troubled lands. The trio is determined, and along the way they grow to trust each other—and new additions to the group—in order to accomplish their missions…whether or not those missions are one and the same. But the Arch-Rike—ruthless ruler of Kenatos—has learned of these plans, and has sent the fearsome Kishion to destroy all those that oppose him. Now Tyrus and his unwitting allies must face down not only the plague, but this new enemy—and fulfill their quest before a fresh horror is unleashed on the world

The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain series conjures an epic, adventurous world of ancient myth and magic as a young woman’s battle with infinite evil begins.Survivor of a combat school, the orphaned Bingmei belongs to a band of mercenaries employed by a local ruler. Now the nobleman, and collector of rare artifacts, has entrusted Bingmei and the skilled team with a treacherous assignment: brave the wilderness’s dangers to retrieve the treasures of a lost palace buried in a glacier valley. But upsetting its tombs has a price.Echion, emperor of the Grave Kingdom, ruler of darkness, Dragon of Night, has long been entombed. Now Bingmei has unwittingly awakened him and is answerable to a legendary prophecy. Destroying the dark lord before he reclaims the kingdoms of the living is her inherited mission. Killing Bingmei before she fulfills it is Echion’s. Thrust unprepared into the role of savior, urged on by a renegade prince, and possessing a magic that is her destiny, Bingmei knows what she must do. But what must she risk to honor her ancestors? Bingmei’s fateful choice is one that neither her friends nor her enemies can foretell, as Echion’s dark war for control unfolds.

An abandoned child becomes a singular inspiration to the mythology of Muirwood in an epic series by Jeff Wheeler, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Muirwood and Kingfountain novels. Eilean was born a “wretched”—a lowly foundling raised by the Aldermaston of Tintern Abbey. Then she’s chosen to assist in establishing the new abbey of Muirwood, now the site of a castle in the swampy Bearden Muir. Eilean’s role is as night servant to the druid Mordaunt, the king’s exiled advisor—and prisoner. He’s clever, dangerous, and invaluable to the Aldermaston. Mordaunt’s priceless secret: the hiding place of an ancient tome that reveals the existence of other worlds and the magic between them. Mordaunt knows how potent its words are and how dangerous they could be in the wrong hands. But can Eilean win him over? All she must do is gain Mordaunt’s confidence and trust and persuade the apostate to divulge his secret to her. But as she learns more from Mordaunt, Eilean’s loyalties begin to fray. And the risks are greater than she imagined. Despite betrayals, deceptions, and the deadly motivations of others, a girl from the flax fields is about to rise above her station. By exploring the potential of the power of an ancient spoken magic, Eilean is coming into her own.

Il existe deux mondes. L’un a conquis les nuages. L’autre a sombré dans le brouillard. Abandonnée alors qu’elle était enfant, Cettie vit le ventre creux, dans la peur des fantômes qu’elle semble être la seule à voir. Elle réside dans le monde d’en bas, jusqu’à ce qu’un vice-amiral fortuné l’en délivre, lui offrant la vie dont elle a toujours rêvé, tout là-haut dans les nuages. Là où les manoirs flottent dans le ciel grâce à une magie énigmatique et où les privilégiés mènent des vies de rois. Séra est la petite-fille de l’Empereur. Toutes envient sa place. Pourtant, seule avec sa gouvernante et ses parents, la jeune princesse n’a qu’un désir : explorer le monde qu’elle aperçoit tout juste depuis sa fenêtre. La vie des deux jeunes filles est sur le point de changer à jamais.

A mortal sorcerer sets out to defy the dark magic of an ancient race awakening to wage war on mortals in an epic fantasy of adventure and love by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler. Millennia ago, a magical race called the Aesir found a new home on a distant world. Attracted to the cold during an ice age, they hibernated for hundreds of years at a time. With each awakening, however, they saw their world changed by ever-evolving mortals, encroaching on their territory and way of life. Two civilizations with opposing magic poised to clash, over and over. Now, the Aesir are awakening to wage a new war—this time to exterminate their enemy once and for all. Robinson Hawksley is an elocutionist at the Invisible College who has perfected a way of teaching speech that relies on harnessing the intelligences that create magic to train the sorcerers. The world needs more sorcerers to protect against the looming Aesir threat, and Robinson’s newest charge is McKenna Foster, a barrister’s daughter rendered deaf after a bout with a plague unleashed by the Aesir. As progress develops between them and they grow ever closer, there also comes a strange connection to the Aesir—one that crosses the boundaries of time itself and the unfathomable mysteries of the Unseen Powers. Emerging from their icy fortresses, the Aesir begin their bombardment. Can Robinson and McKenna, brought together by magic, stop an endless war with powers even they have yet to fully understand?

A vacationing family becomes pawns in an ancient ritual designed to bring about a Mayan apocalypse in a riveting thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler. A Mayan prophecy has waited for five centuries to be fulfilled. That time has come. Sacrifices will be made. Let the games begin. When Jonathan Roth and his family are invited by their neighbors, the Beasleys, to join them at a luxury retreat in Cozumel, who can refuse? It’s the perfect winter getaway. Relaxing on the beach, gourmet food, sightseeing, and free accommodations. But if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Villa Sara de Calakmul, owned by mysterious tycoon Jacob Calakmul, is more isolated compound than private resort. Armed guards patrol the jungle perimeters. Pictures of previous guests—long disappeared—adorn the walls. And there are whispers of something coming called “the game.” Even in the sweltering heat, the Roths feel a chill—and the fear that they haven’t been invited to Villa Sara. They’ve been lured. But for what purpose? And to what end? From the ruins, a death cult is reborn. A prophecy to bring down Western civilization is being realized. As a legendary blood sport is engaged, the Roths themselves may need to call upon ancient powers if they’re to survive, escape, and save the world from annihilation.