Blade of Empire

Book excerpt: FROM THE AUTHORS OF NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS WHEN DARKNESS FALLS AND THE PHOENIX TRANSFORMED, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER TO LIGHT A CANDLE They thought the war was over. They were wrong. Runacarendalur Caerthalien has been a master of battle for hundreds of years, but he found himself on the wrong side—the losing side—in the last war. Betrayed by his brother, trapped in a prophecy he does not understand, Runacar flees the battlefield. Yet Runacar is no coward. In a twist he could never have imagined, the Elven War-Prince finds himself leading a new army into battle—a force of centaurs, merfolk, gryphons, minotaurs, and talking bears who can perform magic. For centuries they have been trying to reclaim their lands from Elven invaders. With Runacar at the helm, they just might manage it. Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory’s first collaboration, the Obsidian Mountain trilogy, introduced readers to a brilliant, continent-spanning fantasy world of high adventure and epic battle. Civilization shimmered with magic while in the nooks and crannies of the world, dragons and unicorns hid from people who believed them to be nothing more than legends. The Dragon Prophecy, set thousands of years before that story, illuminates a time when long-lived Elves rule the Fortunate Lands. It is a time of dire prophecy, of battle and bloodshed, of great magics unlike any the Elvenkind have seen before. It is the story of the end of one world and the beginning of the next. The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy #1 The Outstretched Shadow #2 To Light a Candle #3 When Darkness Falls The Enduring Flame Trilogy #1 The Phoenix Unchained #2 The Phoenix Endangered #3 The Phoenix Transformed The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy #1 Crown of Vengeance #2 Blade of Empire At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.