![moontide quartet book 4 gurvon moontide quartet book 4 gurvon](http://www.taleinferno.com/uploads/1/0/3/8/103888520/editor/mage-s-blood-1.jpg)
The land below was stark and jagged, layers of shadow and light playing amongst rocky outcroppings. Later that day, the old woman sat cross-legged in a cave high above an arid valley. She bent until her lips were almost touching the jackal’s muzzle. From amidst the filthy cloth a face emerged, a leathery-faced old woman with wiry iron hair. There was a muffled crunch and blood splattered. One hind leg was shattered it didn’t get far.Ī ragged bulk wrapped in cloth rose and glided towards the beast, which snapped and snarled as an arm holding a rock emerged and rose and fell. It writhed agonisingly and tried to run, sliding down the slope it had so gracefully ascended, its eyes flashing about, seeking the danger it had never even sensed. Its jaws opened.Īn instant later the jackal was hurled through the air, its hindquarters smashing against a boulder. The beast did not see a child it saw food. It was thirsty and the cold was beginning to bite. It did not yet understand that the warm embracing being that had held it would not return. The helpless newborn went still as the beast loomed over it. The jackal looked around then trotted forward cautiously. There: a bundle of swaddled clothing amidst the waste and filth, jerking spasmodically, tiny brown limbs kicking free. In the distance others of his kind yowled and yapped, but this close to prey, he moved in silence. A lurking jackal soon appeared, sniffing warily. The quavering cry hung in the air, an invitation to predators. The refuse heap lay downwind of a ramshackle cluster of mud-brick hovels. By communing with them, it is theoretically possible to be aware of almost everything that is happening on Urte.Īs the sun stabbed through a cleft in the eastern mountains, a thin wail lifted from a midden. There are millions of such spirits wandering the lands.
![moontide quartet book 4 gurvon moontide quartet book 4 gurvon](https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441227669l/25543924.jpg)
![moontide quartet book 4 gurvon moontide quartet book 4 gurvon](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410290761i/23184547._SY180_.jpg)
But what we do know is that a mage may commune with such ghosts and gain access to all that those spirits perceive. Whether it eventually dissipates or passes to some other place, we can only speculate. But we of the Ordo Costruo teach this: that when the soul detaches from the body it remains here on Urte for a time, a disembodied ghost. What happens when the soul leaves the body? Paradise or Damnation? Rebirth? Oneness with God? Or Oblivion? The faiths of mankind have made a case for each and many other variants.
![moontide quartet book 4 gurvon moontide quartet book 4 gurvon](http://www.taleinferno.com/uploads/1/0/3/8/103888520/published/ascendant-s-rite-1_1.jpg)
To my patient test readers (you know who you are),Īnd to friends and family everywhere. It also goes out with my love to Brendan and Melissa, my children This book is dedicated to my wife Kerry Lucky me! You can find this and many other great books at:ġ: The Vexations of Emperor Constant (Part 1) Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.Ī CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library The moral right of David Hair to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.Īll rights reserved. First published in Great Britain in 2012 by