Two sellswords, now pariahs, head north to the Freelands to escape injustice. But the ghosts of the past come back to haunt Brea the half-elf, and what measure of respect can Kozog—a half-orc—earn from her people? A novella set in the world of Ren of Atikala, and the sequel to The Pariahs.

Two sellswords, one transformed into goat and the other deprived of her spells and vanity in equal measure, escape the clutches of officious bureaucrats. But a sea voyage, hastily prepared, is the least of their troubles; turning Kozog back into a half-orc is going to take powerful magic beyond Brea’s skill, and the claws of the abyssal terrors have a longer reach than either of them anticipated. A novella set in Drathari, the world of Ren of Atikala. Part three of the The Pariahs series.

Before the Godsdeath we had power. Dragons commanded the arcane and the divine equally. We could have raised our stillborn eggs to life. Such things were not unusual for our kind, especially not those who had magic and motivation. I had both. Ophiliana was the better fighter. I was the better spellcaster. We were, however, both dragons; magic and muscle in one package, wings that could block out the sun, flame that could burn a horse to the bone, eyes as sharp as eagle’s. And yet, for all our strength and power, Ophiliana and I could not conceive. We kept trying, of course. Dead egg after dead egg. We waited. The humans were not so patient. They pleaded with the gods to return. They threatened. They screamed to the heavens. And then, all other avenues exhausted, they sacrificed.

\\USA Today Bestseller\\ Only available through April 2015! Join epic fantasy legend Mercedes Lackey and fifteen additional New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling authors on the adventure of a lifetime! Over one million words and sixteen realms of fantasy brought together for your reading pleasure. Discover courageous characters fighting for justice and order. Journey between kingdoms of dragons and lands of anarchy as tales of magic and mayhem unfold.