The Knight's Tale (8 page)

Which, Ridmark wondered, meant wedding Tarrabus
Carhaine?

“You look so grim,” said Aelia.

“I always look grim,” said Ridmark. “I’m smiling now.
See?”

He kept his expression the same.

Aelia laughed. “If you look like that when you are
happy, I dread to think of what you must look like in a fury.”

“I think we are talking too much,” said Ridmark. “We
should dance instead.”

Her eyes lit up. “If we must.”

They moved across the floor, revolving around each
other. In the southern courts, the dances were slower, more solemn.
Here in the north, they were faster and wilder, and he saw a sheen
of sweat appear upon Aelia’s brow. Again and again they bumped into
each other, sometimes by accident, sometimes not, and every touch
sent a thrill through Ridmark. He wanted to pull her close and kiss
her more than he had ever wanted anything, but he would not
dishonor her and her father.

Though if he found her alone, perhaps in a stairwell
or a corridor, he would dare a kiss. And if she did not slap him,
he would dare another.

The song ended, and a smattering of applause went
through the hall. Ridmark and Aelia stepped apart and bowed to each
other. She looked at his belt and frowned.

“What’s that?” she said.

For an excruciating moment Ridmark wondered if his
body had betrayed him into embarrassment, and then realized she was
talking about something else.

About his soulblade.

Pale white light leaked from the edges of the
scabbard.

His embarrassment turned into alarm, and he slid
Heartwarden a few inches from its scabbard. A soulstone had been
embedded in the blade above the crosspiece. It looked like a chunk
of rough white crystal, but it was the source of the blade’s
magic.

“It’s glowing,” said Aelia.

Ridmark shook his head. “It only does that when I
draw upon its power, or…”

Or when creatures of dark magic were near.

“My lord Dux!” shouted Ridmark, his voice cutting
through the hall.

Gareth saw his blade and rose from his chair. Ridmark
saw that the other Swordbearers in attendance had drawn their
soulblades, their soulstones also shining with a pale white
light.

“My lords and knights!” said Gareth. “Defend
yourselves! There are foes among us.”

There was no panic. Everyone in the room had lived
through kobold or orcish raids, and knew what to do. The men drew
their swords or lifted maces. The women hurried to take the
children and the servants in hand, leading them towards the
chapel.

The doors to the great hall swung open with a groan.
Torchlight blazed in the courtyard outside, but Ridmark heard no
signs of alarm.

A tall figure in a long red coat stood in the
doorway, his shadow falling into the hall.

Follow this link to continue reading
Frostborn:
The First Quest
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4439)
.

***

The Demonsouled Saga

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in
battle and masterful with a sword.

Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son
of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants
him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes
terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury
from devouring him.

But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his
blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.

The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the
shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent
priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity.
Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow
before the serpent god.

The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of
terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and
torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only
slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a
warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.

The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once
noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark
magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power
and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.

To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the
strength of his Demonsouled blood.

Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.

For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and
lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself,
and become the a god of torment and tyranny.

Unless Mazael can stop him.

Read
Demonsouled
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=880) for free.
Mazael's adventures continue in
Soul of
Tyrants
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=911),
Soul
of Serpents
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1287),
Soul of
Dragons
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1727),
Soul
of Sorcery
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1845),
Soul of
Skulls
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2808),
and
Soul of
Swords
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3599),
along with the short stories
The Wandering
Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3073),
The
Tournament Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3677), and
The Dragon's
Shadow
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2635).
Get the first three books bundled together in
Demonsouled
Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4442).

The Ghosts Series

Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor
nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.

Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery
tore her life apart.

Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite
agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is
a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the
shadows.

And she will need all those skills to defend the
Empire and stay alive.

Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows,
desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own
profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire,
ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in
distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware
the Ghosts.

The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of
sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire.
With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and
enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit.
Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.

And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and
terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the
gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of
mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.

Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty
enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.

Read
Child of the
Ghosts
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1057)
for free. Caina's adventures continue in
Ghost in the
Flames
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1265),
Ghost
in the Blood
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1383),
Ghost in the
Storm
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1931),
Ghost
in the Stone
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2520),
Ghost in the
Forge
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3181),
Ghost
in the Ashes
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3932),
Ghost in the
Mask
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4231), and
Ghost
in the Surge
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4637), along with
the short stories
Ghost
Aria
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3243),
Ghost
Claws
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3930),
Ghost
Omens
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4235),
The
Fall of Kyrace
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4258),
Ghost
Thorns
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4639),
Ghost
Undying
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4662),
Ghost
Light
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5653),
and
Ghost
Dagger
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2371).
Get the first three books bundled together in
The Ghosts
Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4484), and get the
first four short stories bundled together in a
World of the
Ghosts Volume One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5669).

The Ghost Exile Series

Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the
spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her
boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous
annihilation.

But the victory cost her everything.

Now she is exiled and alone in the city of
Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old
darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the
world itself.

And Caina is the only one that stands in its
way...

Read
Ghost in the
Cowl
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4903),
Ghost
in the Maze
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5090),
Ghost in the
Hunt
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5244),
Ghost
in the Razor
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5553), and
Ghost in the
Inferno
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5759)
along with the short stories
Ghost
Sword
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4911),
Ghost
Price
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5105),
Ghost
Relics
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5265),
Ghost
Keeper
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5481),
Ghost
Nails
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5504),
and
Ghost
Lock
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5776).

The Third Soul

RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the
powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the
Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the
Testing never speak of the trials they endured.

Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.

And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to
take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face
perils to both her body and her sanity.

And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.

If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even
more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world
of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.

And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help
them.

Read
The
Testing
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1538)
for free. Rachelis's trials continue in
The
Assassins
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1540),
The Blood
Shaman
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1542),
The
High Demon
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=1544),
The Burning
Child
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=2756),
The
Outlaw Adept
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3341),
The Black
Paladin
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3343),
and
The Tomb of
Baligant
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=3345).
Read the entire series in
The Third
Soul Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4021) and
The Third
Soul Omnibus Two
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4061).

The Frostborn Series

A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur
Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a
new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and
stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule
a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the
High King.

But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.

RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of
renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and
despised as a traitor.

But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn
shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the
world in ice and a neverending winter.

CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone,
and creatures of terrible power hunting her.

For she alone holds the secret that can save the
world…or destroy it utterly.

The secret of the Frostborn.

Read
Frostborn:
The First Quest
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4439), followed by
Frostborn:
The Gray Knight
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4069),
Frostborn:
The Eightfold Knife
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4437),
Frostborn:
The Undying Wizard
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4776),
Frostborn:
The Master Thief
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5007),
Frostborn:
The Iron Tower
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5183),
Frostborn:
The Dark Warden
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5330),
Frostborn:
The Gorgon Spirit
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5330), and
Frostborn:
The Broken Mage
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5860) along with
the short stories
The Orc's
Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5661),
The
Mage's Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=4784),
The Thief's
Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5012),
The
Assassin's Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5186),
The
Paladins's Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5328), and
The Knight's
Tale
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5865).
Read the first three books combined in
Frostborn
Omnibus One
(http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/writer/?page_id=5671).