Urban Faerie - Scepter'd Isle
Latest release: April 1, 2008
Series
4
Books
About this ebook series
DENORIEL: WARRIOR OF KORONOS; RIDER IN THE WILD HUNT . . . NURSEMAID
Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently to the valley of the FarSeers.
A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant, red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . . . and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that Denoriel recognized¾the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that name.
The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before him¾briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems¾¾twice, if Denoriel read the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.
"And this," said the lady of the ancient ways, "Is what will come to pass if that child does not reign."
Fires . . .
Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores, hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers. Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand of Spain and the Inquisition.
"You are the key to all of this." The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his. "The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its protector."
"But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid¾" he said, feebly.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently to the valley of the FarSeers.
A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant, red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . . . and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that Denoriel recognized¾the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that name.
The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before him¾briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems¾¾twice, if Denoriel read the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.
"And this," said the lady of the ancient ways, "Is what will come to pass if that child does not reign."
Fires . . .
Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores, hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers. Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand of Spain and the Inquisition.
"You are the key to all of this." The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his. "The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its protector."
"But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid¾" he said, feebly.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
This Scepter'd Isle
Book 1 · Feb 2004 ·
5.0star
DENORIEL: WARRIOR OF KORONOS; RIDER IN THE WILD HUNT . . . NURSEMAID
Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently to the valley of the FarSeers.
A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant, red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . . . and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that Denoriel recognized¾the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that name.
The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before him¾briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems¾¾twice, if Denoriel read the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.
"And this," said the lady of the ancient ways, "Is what will come to pass if that child does not reign."
Fires . . .
Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores, hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers. Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand of Spain and the Inquisition.
"You are the key to all of this." The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his. "The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its protector."
"But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid¾" he said, feebly.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently to the valley of the FarSeers.
A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant, red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . . . and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that Denoriel recognized¾the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that name.
The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before him¾briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems¾¾twice, if Denoriel read the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.
"And this," said the lady of the ancient ways, "Is what will come to pass if that child does not reign."
Fires . . .
Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores, hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers. Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand of Spain and the Inquisition.
"You are the key to all of this." The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his. "The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its protector."
"But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid¾" he said, feebly.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Ill Met By Moonlight
Book 2 · Mar 2005 ·
5.0star
GOD (AND ELFLAND) SAVE THE QUEEN
Peace reigns in Elfland. Incredibly, King Oberon and his exquisite but willful queen, Titania, are at peace with one another. But still the FarSeers of the Selieghe Court are uneasy. They fear trouble is coming to the mortal world of England, which is close to Elfhame Avalon. King Henry VIII is ageing but the futures shown when the FarSeers lift the great crystal lens are unchanged. The rule of the son Great Harry finally succeeded in begetting will bring gray lives and a misery of dull oppression to England. Worse will come if his eldest daughter comes to the throne--a queen warped by fanaticism who might easily summon the Inquisition to rule by torture and fire, burning out heresy ... and every bright aspect of life. The prize at the end of the rainbow is the possibility of a red-haired queen with lion-gold eyes, brilliant with interest and curiosity, welcoming the blossoming of art, music, and literature. But now the last image is flickering, edged in a dark menace.
Years before, Prince Vidal had tried to seize the child Elizabeth and replace her with a simulacrum who would soon die. Vidal had been wounded almost to death in the attempt--but so also had Denoriel, Elizabeth's principal protector. Denoriel is now healing--but so, unbeknownst to those of the Bright Court, is Vidal. And when Vidal wakes to himself, his determination to hurl England into a new dark age is fiercer than ever, fueled by his fury over his defeat and injury. Also, his Dark Court feeds on human suffering and dark emotions. To ensure his own power, he must at all costs prevent Elizabeth from coming to the throne. To gain this goal, Vidal has set in motion a plan of which Denoriel and his comrades are dangerously unaware. . . .
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Peace reigns in Elfland. Incredibly, King Oberon and his exquisite but willful queen, Titania, are at peace with one another. But still the FarSeers of the Selieghe Court are uneasy. They fear trouble is coming to the mortal world of England, which is close to Elfhame Avalon. King Henry VIII is ageing but the futures shown when the FarSeers lift the great crystal lens are unchanged. The rule of the son Great Harry finally succeeded in begetting will bring gray lives and a misery of dull oppression to England. Worse will come if his eldest daughter comes to the throne--a queen warped by fanaticism who might easily summon the Inquisition to rule by torture and fire, burning out heresy ... and every bright aspect of life. The prize at the end of the rainbow is the possibility of a red-haired queen with lion-gold eyes, brilliant with interest and curiosity, welcoming the blossoming of art, music, and literature. But now the last image is flickering, edged in a dark menace.
Years before, Prince Vidal had tried to seize the child Elizabeth and replace her with a simulacrum who would soon die. Vidal had been wounded almost to death in the attempt--but so also had Denoriel, Elizabeth's principal protector. Denoriel is now healing--but so, unbeknownst to those of the Bright Court, is Vidal. And when Vidal wakes to himself, his determination to hurl England into a new dark age is fiercer than ever, fueled by his fury over his defeat and injury. Also, his Dark Court feeds on human suffering and dark emotions. To ensure his own power, he must at all costs prevent Elizabeth from coming to the throne. To gain this goal, Vidal has set in motion a plan of which Denoriel and his comrades are dangerously unaware. . . .
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
By Slanderous Tongues
Book 3 · Mar 2005 ·
5.0star
Elvish Conspiracies Afoot! Heroine, Arise!
Trouble, trouble, the plots do bubble! King Henry VIII has finally joined his unmerry wives in the afterlife, and the Unseleighe Sidhe, the Dark Elves, are bent on subverting the English throne and bringing back the sorrow, horror and despair of the Middle Ages. After all, that's what made the bad old days so much fun ¾ for them!
Enlightenment's hope A mere fourteen-year-old girl. A bright and adaptable fourteen-year-old to be sure, but still¾what chance has such a young thing against the Unseleighe Sidhe's tangled web of treachery and depravity
A pretty good one. You see, the girl's name is Elizabeth, and that fiery red hair is no lie. Whether immortal lord or malicious mortal, young Elizabeth Tudor's enemies cross her at their peril!
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
"[Mercedes] Lackey. . . produces elegant, compelling fantasy."
¾Publishers Weeklyon best-selling High Priestess of Fantasy, Mercedes Lackey.
"[K]nowledgeable readers. . .will enjoy the interplay between elven intervention and historical fact."
¾Publishers Weekly on Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis's This Sceptr'd Isle.
Trouble, trouble, the plots do bubble! King Henry VIII has finally joined his unmerry wives in the afterlife, and the Unseleighe Sidhe, the Dark Elves, are bent on subverting the English throne and bringing back the sorrow, horror and despair of the Middle Ages. After all, that's what made the bad old days so much fun ¾ for them!
Enlightenment's hope A mere fourteen-year-old girl. A bright and adaptable fourteen-year-old to be sure, but still¾what chance has such a young thing against the Unseleighe Sidhe's tangled web of treachery and depravity
A pretty good one. You see, the girl's name is Elizabeth, and that fiery red hair is no lie. Whether immortal lord or malicious mortal, young Elizabeth Tudor's enemies cross her at their peril!
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
"[Mercedes] Lackey. . . produces elegant, compelling fantasy."
¾Publishers Weeklyon best-selling High Priestess of Fantasy, Mercedes Lackey.
"[K]nowledgeable readers. . .will enjoy the interplay between elven intervention and historical fact."
¾Publishers Weekly on Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis's This Sceptr'd Isle.
And Less Than Kind
Book 4 · Apr 2008 ·
5.0star
HEIR TO A THRONE¾OR TO A GRAVE
When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. And he did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at work: The evil elf lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary's reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen.
Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth's death, Mary chose a different path to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. Mary decided to marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary's burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for Mary's child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for Mercedes Lackey:
"She'll keep you up long past your bedtime."
¾Stephen King
"A writer whose work I've loved all along."
¾Marion Zimmer Bradley
"[Lackey is] an undoubted mistress of the well-told tale."
¾Booklist
"Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field."
¾ Locus
"(Lackey's fantasy] leaves us simultaneously satisfied and longing for more."
¾Realms of Fantasy
"[Lackey] packs as much action, suspense and twisting of conventions into one novel as many writers invest in whole trilogies."
¾Amazing Stones
Praise for Roberta Gellis:
"A superb storyteller of extraordinary talent."
¾John fakes
"[Roberta Gellis is] a master of the medieval historical."
¾ Publishers Weekly
"One of the romance genre's most formidable talents._._._."
¾ Romantic Times
"Ms. Gellis has become an extraordinary mythteller."
¾The Paperback Forum
"Let's hope the world of fantasy can steal Gellis from romance novels more often."
¾Science Fiction Chronicle
"Roberta Gellis has already established herself as a great author in the |romantic fantasy genre._._._."
¾Affaire de Coeur
When it became certain that Edward VI was dying, the duke of Northumberland, who had been ruling England in his name, made a plan that would let him hold onto his power. He dared not let Mary come to the throne because she was fiercely Catholic and he had espoused the Protestant cause. And he did not want Elizabeth to rule because he knew her imperious nature would never defer to him. But there was more than one puppet master at work: The evil elf lord Vidal Dhu had no intention of losing the flood of power the misery of Mary's reign would bring the Dark Court, and intervened so that Mary was proclaimed queen.
Urged by her Chancellor and the Imperial ambassador to order Elizabeth's death, Mary chose a different path to insure that Elizabeth would never reign. Mary decided to marry and bear a child to be the Catholic heir. Vidal Dhu, replete with power from the pain and terror of Mary's burning of heretics, agreed with Mary. Vidal Dhu had very special plans for Mary's child. And since Oberon and Titania had disappeared, there now was no one except the double pair of twins to stand between the mortals of England and the rule of Evil.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for Mercedes Lackey:
"She'll keep you up long past your bedtime."
¾Stephen King
"A writer whose work I've loved all along."
¾Marion Zimmer Bradley
"[Lackey is] an undoubted mistress of the well-told tale."
¾Booklist
"Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field."
¾ Locus
"(Lackey's fantasy] leaves us simultaneously satisfied and longing for more."
¾Realms of Fantasy
"[Lackey] packs as much action, suspense and twisting of conventions into one novel as many writers invest in whole trilogies."
¾Amazing Stones
Praise for Roberta Gellis:
"A superb storyteller of extraordinary talent."
¾John fakes
"[Roberta Gellis is] a master of the medieval historical."
¾ Publishers Weekly
"One of the romance genre's most formidable talents._._._."
¾ Romantic Times
"Ms. Gellis has become an extraordinary mythteller."
¾The Paperback Forum
"Let's hope the world of fantasy can steal Gellis from romance novels more often."
¾Science Fiction Chronicle
"Roberta Gellis has already established herself as a great author in the |romantic fantasy genre._._._."
¾Affaire de Coeur