Vendetta’s Rise
Vendetta’s Rise takes place in the fantasy world of the Dragon Realms and follows the origin of Elucard, Wiccer, and Koda.
Elucard is a child thrust headlong into the profession of assassin as part of the Black Rabbit clan. The Black Rabbits are ruthless in rearing and training young Elucard, teaching him combat, suppressing his emotions, and most importantly how to kill.
Wiccer is brought up to follow in his family's linage of becoming a soldier in the Guard of the White Cloaks. He is taught various virtues that make a strong leader, including loyalty, respect, and honor.
Koda is at the crossroads of his life where he must choose to either follow the path of a king or the path of the Arcane Guardian. He is taught in the mastery of the Magi and the ways of the mage.
Together these three young boys slowly become men with their seemingly different roads intertwining into an extraordinary clash of fates!
Excerpt from the book:
“Come again?” Dest stared blankly at the trio of bandits. Her comrades scanned the scene as they sized up their situation. The bandits were clad in green leather tunics with iron rivets studded along the seams. Two of them stood by their horses, blocking the wagon’s path. The third pointed his dagger at Dest’s face.
“This here is our road that you be usin.’ Gotta pay a toll if’n you want to pass,” the bandit spat.
Dest looked back at the two men in her wagon. Vemrick smiled thinly, the other did not look amused. Dest looked back at the highwayman, “We have to make Ravenshore by morning. It would benefit us all if we were on time. Please remove yourself.”
The three green-clad men burst into a loud belly laugh. The bandit grinned, showing off his yellow teeth. His breath stunk of wine and rot, “You talk slick. Pay up. You don’t want to mess with the Black Rabbits, do you? We be the most feared men in these lands. Cross our path, we make widows of yer wives and orphans of yer children!”
Dest raised an eyebrow, “Oh, you be the Black Rabbits? I’ve heard of your exploits. You are certainly not to be trifled with.”
Vemrick was a bit younger than Dest. He slicked back his red hair and twitched his elven ears. He nudged his companion before poking his head out next to Dest, “Ya know, Dest. We should just pay these fine men. The last thing we want to do is evoke the wrath of the spooky Black Rabbit clan.”
The bandit’s grin grew wider, “Aye, pay us and ye can live.”
Dest fidgeted with her haversack taking out a few gold coins from a small pouch within it, “We never wanted any trouble…” she said coyly.
The bandit scrunched his face in confusion, “Weren’t there three of you?” he said pointing at a missing body in the wagon.
Vemrick mockingly raised his brow, “Weren’t there three of you?”
The bandit whipped his head around and gasped in horror. His two compatriots were sprawled out on the ground. Their necks were slashed and their thick red blood soaked into the earth. A single shadowy figure slowly moved himself closer to the remaining thug. In his hand he had a long two handed sword dragging in the dirt.
Dest spoke calmly as the mysterious individual raised his weapon, “We would have paid your silly tax. We would have left you alone. We would have gone about our business, but then you had to claim to be Black Rabbits.
The sword drove through the cowering man in a wild blur. Blood spewed from his mouth as he crumpled onto his back.
Dest continued as the victim slowly died, “Legion doesn’t appreciate our name being dragged through the mud. None of us do. We earned the right to be called Rabbits. You did not.”
The bandit gurgled as blood sputtered and dripped from his mouth.
“We’ve wasted enough time. Ravenshore awaits our arrival,” Legion said flatly with little emotion in his voice.
“No rest for the weary, eh, Legion?” Vemrick asked.
“None.”
Blood and Bounty
Life didn't settle for Elucard after the events of Vendetta's Rise. His city is under constant threat of a new danger, the mysterious Dead of Winter. Now he and his Anti-Rogue Ops must go undercover to infiltrate a new threat to save Lost Dawns, even if that means once again turning to his Black Rabbit roots. Meanwhile, Avalon's past finds her again to collect a debt owed, pulling her back to her gladiator days with the return of her greatest enemy. Can these two overcome their pasts to secure their futures?
Excerpt from the book:
The sounds of clashing swords echoed throughout the cavern as Inle leaped backwards on top of a boulder. He darted wall to wall until he scaled the cliff face. Confident he’d made enough distance from his instructor, he took a breather.
His break was cut short as the Collector bounded up to him in a single leap, nearly toppling Inle as he swung his sword of pure light madly about.
Inle sprung back against a large stalagmite, stumbling over the natural structure. He cartwheeled to the side to dodge a strike from the Collector's sword. The light blade cut into the stone with a brilliant array of sparks, like fireworks lighting the bleak cavern. The Collector grunted as he dislodged his weapon and lurched forward. He lashed out left and right at Inle, who parried each attack. Each deflection left him blinded by the flashing explosions.
“What will you do, young Silent Master? Block me, and your sight will blink away each time! You will also find your movements cumbersome in this terrain! What will you do?” shouted the Collector amongst the flurry of slices.
Inle ignored the question and gave his answer with a driving stab through his teacher's cape, pinning it and its wearer to the cave wall. Without a moment to allow a response, Inle pushed off the sword's hilt and flailed his legs, smashing his opponent's face. The Collector’s light blade skidded across the rough ground and into a shallow puddle.
Inle raced to retrieve it, but a snap of chains lassoed his ankle and tripped him. He rolled to his back as the chain retracted, clinking together to form a sword in the Collector's hand. With his other claw, the cat removed Inle's sword from its position in the rock and tossed it to him.
“No, the Lightsworn is mine,” snarled the Collector.
“Wh-where did that chain sword come from? You were completely disarmed!” a baffled Inle stammered.
The Collect smirked, “Hand me my blade, whelp.”
The shadow elf reached over and gently picked up the magical, luminescent sword. He shuffled slowly to the Collector, but tightened his grip. “How many swords do you really have?”
The Collector blinked as if thinking about the number but instead laid his palm out once more. “Give it here, Inle.”
“Inle examined the blade for a moment. He considered withholding it, wielding it, turning it against his partner to gain an advantage. But the urge passed, and he returned it “Well?” he asked again.
The cat took Lightsworn and slid both it and his chainsword into his cloak. Inle’s face lit up with astonishment as the swords vanished within the fabric.
The Collector flashed a toothy smile. “The real question is how many can I carry,” he pointed out.
The Dawnedge War
The race is on to find the second Celestial Seal! Koda Dawnedge embarks on an emissary mission to New Estinia to search for the legendary mark—yet Dead of Winter is one step ahead, and he is taken captive by the vengeful Div’Rah Tashna!
Now the nations of Cypress must band together as an alliance to rescue the young king. Leading the charge, Wiccer takes command of the Cypress forces while Elucard and his Anti-Rogue Ops train under the tutelage of the harekin Mave and her death-defying dragon riders.
With each breathtaking air battle, dangerous stealth operation, and deadly encounter, Elucard and his team inch closer in their daring mission to bring Koda home before he is executed!
Can Elucard and Wiccer free their king before they burn to ashes on the battlefield? Or will Dead of Winter destroy the seal of Dragon Realm Blight and unleash chaos upon the land? Find out in the thrilling third book of the Dragon Realms Saga: The Dawnedge War!
Excerpt from the book:
Crimson runes covered the walls of the Ruens temple as they hummed, projecting a soft, white glow. With each step that the ominous stranger took towards the arch priest, he stumbled backwards until he was pushed up against the chilled, stone wall.
A black robe draped the strange woman. The symbol of her guild, a black snowflake with a threaded white outline and twin blue moons, marked her a member of Dead of Winter. Her red-runed skin flickered by candlelight from the shadows of her hood. She had desecrated the temple with her cursed aura.
“How dare you…” the priest croaked out. His frightened voice shook with each word. “...How dare you enter this place of worship!”
She stopped, caressing a finger down his cheek. “Your gods can not save you from the heavens. Ret sel ahv’los Al’unis,” she finished with the ancient language of the angels, although she was the farthest thing from one. A thin smile appeared on her face.
“What you bring can’t be hope. We mortals could never experience the raw power of the gods. Their presence alone would destroy us. They must be revered from afar."
The light of the runes faded as the woman’s mood fell dark. “So you will not tell me where the seal of Dragon Realm Blight is?”
“Let me answer it in the tongue you are familiar with, MERA!” The priest gnashed his teeth.
The woman’s face soured with disappointment. She pushed her thumb against his forehead. “Never is a long time, and an answer I do not seek,” she snarled with the final word.
A brilliant red light engulfed her thumb. The priest's eyes rolled back into their sockets and his face withered until his skin stretched thin over his cheeks. He crumpled to the ground, gaunt and starved of his life essence. Where her thumb used to be now appeared an abstract, divine symbol.
She huffed with her failure to obtain her information. The air around her cooled. Surprised, she quickly turned her head. Peering into the shadows of the now vacant temple she spotted a scaly figure emerge from the darkness. His hair shined silver, long springbok horns protruded from his head, and a spaded tail swished about behind him.
Prayers and Songs of the Dragon Realms
Serving as a collection of both poetry and lore from the first 3 books, this fantastic companion piece has that and more. It has a boatload of new poems, lore, and sketches by cover artist Megan Steadman, as well as a newly updated Angelic Tongue key. There is more than enough to satisfy the hungriest of Dragon Realms super fans. A perfect gem for your bookcase!
Excerpt from the book:
From the Black Rabbit Field Manual, we have two of the favored Black Rabbit fighting styles:
Rabbit-Sai and the Rabbit-Do
The Rabbit-Sai is a defensive style and can be used passively or aggressively. If used aggressively, the Rabbit will approach the target and parry each attack using a quick movement, such as an elbow, shoulder thrust, or knee to counter with. After a while the target will tire and the Rabbit can disarm the opponent and go for the kill. Passively, the Rabbit will do the opposite and wait for the enemy’s attacks. This technique excels at dealing with multiple enemy combatants. The Rabbit can wait patiently for an opening to strike once they learn of the patterns of the enemy. Rabbit-Sai is the optimal counter to the Many Blade style; however, a master of the Many Blade can overcome most any style.
The Rabbit-Do is a style designed for close quarter combat, significantly better than most styles when used in tight alleys or small rooms. The Rabbit-Do uses straight forward and rapid strikes. Defensive actions are used from the inside to knock away the target's attack. With a mastery of pressure point techniques, the Rabbit will find that Rabbit-Do is a most useful style. The Rabbit-Do is an excellent counter to those who utilize the Giant Hand style, since the large weapons favored by Giant Hand practitioners are unwieldy in tight quarters, making them perfect victims for the quick and nimble Rabbit-Do fighter.
A Rabbit that masters both these styles will overcome almost any opponent with ease.