Gerard Holovar, Captain of the Temple Police, was only trying to do the right thing when he spared the life of a pirate. He gambled. And he lost. Now, mired in grief and choking on despair, he stumbles through days of slave labor, mourning his loved ones and trying to understand where he went wrong. His life as a prince and Captain of Police becomes a hazy memory. When Gerard’s luck finally changes, he emerges from the slave deck of a ship—free, but numb and scarred. He plans to leave Wefrivain, believing that everything he knew and loved is dead. Gerard may have let go of his past, but his past hasn’t quite let go of him. While struggling to survive as an escaped slave in the wilderness of the Lawless Lands, Gerard finds a friend in even more desperate straits—a friend who betrayed him, a friend he thought was dead. Gerard realizes that, while he could not rescue everyone, he may be able to rescue one person. And perhaps here, in the ashes of their lives, there may still be time for second chances. Ashes is the third book in the Guild of the Cowry Catchers series. This 60,000-word book is DRM-free and carefully formatted. It includes 5 character portraits, 17 full-page illustrations, and 2 versions of the map (one optimized for color and one for black and white). Cowry Catchers looks beautiful on a black-and-white viewer, but you can also open this eBook on a color screen and view the illustrations in their full glory. Learn more about the series on the author's website at www.cowrycatchers.com.