In the Village Where Brightwine Flows Page 6

  To Çeda’s great joy, the scattered survivors of the thirteenth tribe are gathering in the desert, forming a new tribe from the descendants of the few who escaped the kings’ cruelties. Their very existence is threatened, however, both by Onur, the King of Spears, who is calling warriors to his banner to challenge the other kings’ rule, and by the other Sharakhani Kings, who will stop at nothing to see the thirteenth tribe destroyed once and for all.

  In desperation, Çeda returns to Sharakhai, hoping to break the chains of the enslaved asirim and save her people.

  In the city, Çeda soon discovers that the once-unified front of the kings is crumbling. Feeling their power slipping away, the kings vie for control over the city and the desert beyond. Çeda plans to use that to her advantage, but who can she trust? Any of them might betray her as easily as they betray their fellow kings.

  As Çeda works to free the asirim and rally them to the defense of the thirteenth tribe, the Kings of Sharakhai prepare for a grand clash that may decide the fate of all.

  Of Sand and Malice Made is the exciting prequel to Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, the acclaimed first novel in The Song of the Shattered Sands.

  Çeda is the youngest pit fighter in the history of Sharakhai. She’s made her name in the arena as the fearsome White Wolf. None but her closest friends and allies know her true identity. But this all changes when she crosses the path of Rümayesh, an ehrekh, a sadistic creature forged aeons ago by the god of chaos.

  The ehrekh are desert dwellers, but for centuries Rümayesh has lurked in the dark corners of Sharakhai, combing the populace for jewels that might interest her. Some she chooses to stand by her side, until she tires of them and discards them. Others she abducts to examine more closely, a thing that leaves them ruined, worn-out husks.

  Çeda flees the ehrekh’s attentions, but that only makes Rümayesh covet her even more. Rümayesh grows violent. She threatens to unmask Çeda as the White Wolf, but the danger grows infinitely worse when she turns her attention to Çeda’s friends. Çeda is horrified. She’s seen firsthand the suffering left in Rümayesh’s wake.

  As Çeda fights to protect the people dearest to her, Rümayesh comes closer to attaining her prize and the struggle becomes a battle for Çeda’s very soul.

  This spellbinding tale is sure to strike a chord with readers of Peter V. Brett, Brent Weeks, and Trudi Canavan—as well as fans of Twelve Kings in Sharakhai eagerly awaiting the later books in the Shattered Sands series.

  This omnibus edition of The Lays of Anuskaya is comprised of the following novels:

  The Winds of Khalakovo

  The Straits of Galahesh

  The Flames of Shadam Khoreh

  Also included are the following two Lays of Anuskaya novellas:

  “To the Towers of Tulandan”

  “Prima”

  Among inhospitable and unforgiving seas stands Khalakovo, a mountainous archipelago of seven islands, its prominent eyrie stretching a thousand feet into the sky. Serviced by windships bearing goods and dignitaries, Khalakovo’s eyrie stands at the crossroads of world trade. But all is not well in Khalakovo. Conflict has erupted between the ruling Landed, the indigenous Aramahn, and the fanatical Maharraht, and a wasting disease has grown rampant over the past decade. Now, Khalakovo is to play host to the Nine Dukes, a meeting which will weigh heavily upon Khalakovo’s future.

  When an elemental spirit attacks an incoming windship, murdering the Grand Duke and his retinue, Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, is tasked with finding the child prodigy believed to be behind the summoning. However, Nikandr discovers that the boy is an autistic savant who may hold the key to lifting the blight that has been sweeping the islands. Can the Dukes, thirsty for revenge, be held at bay? Can Khalakovo be saved? The elusive answer drifts upon the Winds of Khalakovo…

  Find more adventures in other worlds with Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories…

  With The Winds of Khalakovo, Bradley P. Beaulieu established himself as a talented new voice in epic fantasy. Now, with the release of his premiere short story collection, Beaulieu demonstrates his ability to weave tales that explore other worlds in ways that are at once bold, imaginative, and touching. Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories contains 17 stories that range from the epic to the heroic, some in print for the first time.

  Twelve Kings in Sharakhai marked the start of a bold new epic fantasy series for critically acclaimed author Bradley P. Beaulieu.

  In the Stars I’ll Find You & Other Tales of Futures Fantastic features Beaulieu’s science fictional work, from exploring far-flung worlds to finding what it means to be human through artificial intelligence to the cost of dividing ourselves—or ourself—through the use of technology.

  In this short story collection, you’ll find eleven tales that explore our very human relationship with technology, some in print for the first time.

  The Burning Light is a stand-alone novella by Bradley P. Beaulieu and Rob Ziegler.

  Disgraced government operative Colonel Chu is exiled to the flooded relic of New York City. Something called the Light has hit the streets like an epidemic, leavings its users strung out and disconnected from the mind-network humanity relies on. Chu has lost everything she cares about to the Light. She’ll end the threat or die trying.

  A former corporate pilot who controlled a thousand ships with her mind, Zola looks like just another Light-junkie living hand to mouth on the edge of society. She’s special though. As much as she needs the Light, the Light needs her too. But, Chu is getting close and Zola can’t hide forever.

  A thrilling and all-too believable science fiction novella from the authors of Twelve Kings in Sharakhai and Seed.

  Strata is a stand-alone novella by two Writers of the Future Award winners.

  It’s the middle of the twenty-second century. Earth’s oil and gas reserves have been spent, but humankind’s thirst for energy remains unquenched. Vast solar mining platforms circle the upper atmosphere of the sun, drawing power lines up from the stellar interior and tight-beaming the energy back to Earth. For most of the platforms’ teeming masses, life is hard, cramped—and hot. Most dream of a return Earthside, but a two-way ticket wasn’t part of the benefits package, and a Sun-Earth trip doesn’t come cheap.

  Kawe Ndechi is luckier than most. He’s a gifted rider—a skimmer pilot who races the surface of the sun’s convection zone—and he needs only two more wins before he lands a ticket home. The only trouble is, Kawe’s spent most of his life on the platforms. He’s seen the misery, and he’s not sure he’s the only one who deserves a chance at returning home.

  That makes Smith Pouslon nervous. Smith once raced the tunnels of fire himself, but now he’s a handler, and his rider, Kawe, is proving anything but easy to handle. Kawe’s slipping deeper and deeper into the Movement, but Smith knows that’s a fool’s game. His own foray into the Movement cost him his racing career—and nearly his life—and he doesn’t want Kawe to throw everything away for a revolt that will never succeed.

  One sun. Two men. The fate of a million souls.