Elizabeth Moon

As Kieri Phelan ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies. Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli escapes an assassination attempt made by the Verrakaien magelords. As dark forces gather against the two kings and their worlds, even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit--and beyond.

"Kylara Vatta is summoned back to the world of Slotter Key, the home planet of the Vatta empire. Ky had never meant to return...but sometimes family summons cannot be ignored. Yet nothing about this trip will go as planned. When her shuttle is sabotaged, she ends up crashed in artic waters along with a desperate handful of strangers. It falls to Ky, as ranking officer, to help them survive and find land, but when they arrive on a frozen island that,...

"Acclaimed author Elizabeth Moon spins gripping, richly imagined epic fantasy novels that have earned comparisons to the work of such authors as Robin Hobb and Lois McMaster Bujold. In this volume, Moon's brilliant masterwork reaches its triumphant conclusion. The mysterious reappearance of magery throughout the land has been met with suspicion, fear, and violence. In the kingdom of Lyonya, Kieri, the half-elven, half-human king, struggles to balance...