Michael G. Manning

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07W7X9VY6 The ancient magic of wizards was anything but dark. It was the enlightenment that lifted humanity from the squalor of superstition, and the worship of fell spirits and capricious gods, but those days are gone. The shining glory of the sorcerers burned away the subtlety of wisdom, replacing it with easy power, held only in the hands of the elite—a new age built upon the elemental supremacy of aristocrats and the ignorance of the masses. But this will change, for the greatest power comes with knowledge, and the deeper teachings of wizardry have not been utterly lost. The last wizard of the old tradition still survives in solitude, nursing tired grudges and waiting for death. His passing might have gone unnoticed, but for the imposition of a youth too stubborn to accept his refusal to take an apprentice. With a new student comes new hope, and that hope has caused old powers to stir again. That the world will change is inevitable, but the shape of the future is anything but certain.

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B005A1JBB8 Mordecai's simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him.

Moira Illeniel was the name she lived by, but her true heritage was more complicated than that. From birth, she was the secretly adopted daughter of the most powerful wizard in the world, but few knew that her true birthright came from the Centyr lineage. Traveling to Dunbar to discover the fate of her vanished father, Moira must face the darker aspects of her power. Forced to fight a foe unlike anything seen before in Lothion, she will learn the reason for the warnings her mother’s shade gave her—why certain abilities should never be used and some lines never crossed—for some doors once opened, might never be closed again.

The story of the first Illeniel wizard continues. Tyrion’s life among the She’Har had become quiet, but the sins of his youth have returned to haunt him. The Mordan wardens have discovered one of his children, and the other groves are racing to find and claim the rest of his illegitimate offspring. Unable to stand by and watch as his children are used as pawns against one another, Tyrion makes a hard choice, one that will set him against everyone and everything he cares for. Others’ love had made his children strong, but his hate would make them powerful.

From the dark depths of the past, comes the tale of the first wizard of Illeniel. Daniel Tennick lived simply, a young shepherd with few troubles and little to occupy his mind, until the warden appeared. Daniel’s power awakens, and he finds himself hunted by the servants of the cruel and uncaring forest gods. Trapped by his gift, Daniel will uncover the secrets of the deep woods and those who live there, a civilization created from the grave of an older one. What he discovers will light a vengeful flame within him, consuming everything he touches.

Gram lives in the long shadow cast by his father, the late-hero, Dorian Thornbear. Struggling to find his place in a world where politics and wizardry appear to have replaced the need for men of might and main, he must make his own mark. Trapped within the seemingly safe confines of Castle Cameron, Gram faces both love and tragedy. His choices will define not only himself, but serve to remind others of his family’s legacy, and the reason only a fool threatens those a Thornbear protects.

Years have passed since the last of the Dark Gods was defeated, and Lothion has entered an age of peace and prosperity. Mordecai’s oldest children have already begun to make a place for themselves, and his youngest are on the cusp of adulthood. By every outward measure, his life has been a success; he has earned his reward. However, Tyrion, the first wizard and brutal liberator of mankind, has returned with an agenda of his own, and dark things continue to stir at the edges of civilization, threatening to undo Mordecai’s accomplishments. He must meet the expectations of his queen, his family, and his people, all while finding a way to protect them from the ancient enemy of the She’Har, but his greatest challenge may be dealing with the lingering darkness that is growing within his own heart.