AustLit

'A gold-eyed Healer, a prophecy, two brothers at war.

'In seasons long past, twin gold-eyed princes sundered a kingdom. Rejecting his brother’s warrior ways, Kasheron led his people away to establish the Tremen community of Allogrenia, deep in the great southern forests. Forgotten by the outside world and protected by the trackless trees, the Tremen flourish for seasons uncounted, upholding Kasheron’s legacy of peace and healing. All Tremen delight in the healing arts, but Kira is the greatest Healer of them all.

'To the north of Allogrenia, drought grips the land, and the Shargh suffer. A herding people, they lost their grazing tracts years before to the Northern invaders, through long and bloody wars. As the drought tightens its grip, and their herd animals die, the chief’s younger brother seizes on an ancient prophecy to snatch the chiefship for himself.

'The prophecy links the Shargh’s doom to a gold-eyed Healer, and Kira has gold eyes.

'The Shargh attack with devastating consequences, and Kira must fight to save the wounded. But the Shargh wounds rot, no matter her skill, and as the blood-shed continues, Kira faces losing everything and everyone she loves.

'Can Kira cure the Shargh wounds? Or will the Tremen community be destroyed?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'How can fire quench fire?

'The Tremen are dying and Kira is in a deadly race against time to save them. Somewhere deep in the Warens’ labyrinth of underground tunnels, lies the answer to a riddle and the cure to Shargh wounds.

'To find it, she must defeat the tunnels’ unmapped darkness and Kest, the blue-eyed, blond-haired Commander of the Protectors. As leader of the force Kasheron established to keep the Tremen safe, Kest is sworn to protect, and everything Kira does puts her at terrible risk.

'As she fights to heal, and he to protect, they join in an uneasy alliance to save the people they love.

'When Kira is made Tremen Leader, the stakes rise even further. The Tremen are riven by division and Kira must fight to stop the Tremen community from breaking apart. Desperate to find the cause of the Shargh attacks and stop the Tremen’s suffering, she goes ever deeper into the Warens’ perilous darkness. Kest searches too, his quest in the sunlit forests above.

'When he and his men make a gruesome discovery, he realizes what drives the Sharghs’ murderous attacks, but then he makes a deadly mistake.

'As Kira learns more of her brutal lineage, she is confronted with the horrifying truth that to save her people, she must lose them forever. Can Kira preserve Kasheron’s legacy of peace and healing? Or will all he fought for be swept away by the violence he fled?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What truths lie hidden in the stars?

'Kira is alone, her food all but exhausted, the forest and those she loves, far behind her. When she stumbles on a stranger under attack, she faces a terrible choice: betray everything Kasheron fought for or walk away.

'The stranger, Caledon, knows a path over the mountains and has friends nearby who can help them, but Kira’s quest is clear: go straight north, gain aid for her people, and return home.

'They continue together but the Azurcades are perilous and when a terrible storm threatens to sweep them to their deaths, their journey becomes a battle for survival.

'Kira’s trust in Caledon grows and his gentleness rouses other, deeper feelings, but Caledon is ruled by forces that pose a lethal threat to her quest. She plans her escape, but new lands bring new enemies and she is taken prisoner.

'Fleeing her captors, Kira finds herself with a people under Shargh attack. As the carnage mounts and she joins with their Healers to save the wounded, her stocks of fireweed run dangerously low. Caledon strives to regain her trust and the stakes escalate when he reveals terrible truths that threaten the Tremen’s very existence.

'As the slaughter continues and Kira embarks on a hazardous search for fireweed, disaster strikes and she is snatched by the Shargh warrior who has long hunted her. Can Kira survive to reach the north and finally deliver aid to her people? Or will her quest end at the Shargh’s brutal hands?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Who is friend and who is enemy?

'When Kira’s Shargh captors are attacked, she finds herself a prisoner of those who might prove even deadlier. But then, in a heart-rending twist of fate, their leader is revealed to be the bearer of everything Kira most loved in the world and everything Kasheron most despised.

'Kira hides her identity but her subterfuge is discovered and the dangers multiply. Her quest is to gain aid from her northern kin, but the forests that hid the Tremen from enemies, also hid them from friends, and there is no help for a people without alliance or treaty. To make matters worse, the northern histories tell a very different story of the great Healer Kasheron.

'To aid the Tremen, Kira must turn south again, to where Caledon will bring the Tremen fighters but she and the northern leader share a powerful attraction and he’s determined to keep her safely in the north, far from the Shargh.

'Desperate to learn of Kira’s fate, Caledon journeys north too and they are reunited, but his arrival generates antagonisms that threaten alliances and treaties alike. As Caledon strives to decipher the stars’ intent, the stakes escalate, and he fears following his heart could cause the deaths of countless others.

'Kira is no slave to the stars and, driven by her duties as leader, sets out for the south. Besieged by squalling winds and icy storms, her escort comes under Shargh attack and she finds herself in a desperate flight through the night in a terrifying attempt to outrun them. But Shargh hunters lie in wait, and in a deadly rain of spears, her mare goes down.

'Can Kira survive to finally deliver aid to her people? Or will her quest end in the wind-swept darkness?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Must Tremen healing bow before Terak swords?

'Kira's deepest fears are realized when the Tremen are forced from the forests to join the devastating conflict on the plain.

'To add to her guilt, she can't remain with the people she leads but must go north. Sarnia has no healing, and if the fighting spreads, their wounded will die.

'Leaving behind those she loves, she endures the perilous journey back to Sarnia, only to confront powerful forces determined to keep the ways of the despised Healer Kasheron out of the city.

'As Kira fights to create a place of healing, aid comes from an unexpected quarter, but a healing place without fireweed will save no lives.

'Kira's search for fireweed grows increasingly desperate and then her worst nightmare comes true when the person she loves most in the world is mortally wounded.

'As the fighting drags on and winter deepens, the injured flood in and Kira's struggle to save them takes a deadly toll.  

'In the south, the Shargh tribes join, and Tierken makes a terrible mistake that puts Sarnia at risk. Distrust weakens their forces and as the bloodshed grows, treachery promises to deliver a Shargh victory.

'And then, as Tierken and his men fight for their very existence, word reaches him that Kira's life hangs in the balance. Faced with a terrible dilemma, he makes a choice that risks the destruction of his leadership in the north

'Kira flees to the healing settlement of Kessom but to reach its sanctuary, she must navigate the raging torrent that claimed Tierken's father.

'Will Kira survive to reach the healing she so desperately needs? Or will her journey end in the watery darkness?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'What is the price of peace?

'With the fighting over, Tierken pursues Kira to Kessom where she is overjoyed to be reunited with him, but neither have escaped the battles unscathed.

'Kira's health is fragile and Tierken's aggression is honed from months of fighting. To add to the complications, Tierken's enemies in Sarnia have taken full advantage of his absence in the south.

'Angered by their scheming and frustrated by Kira's refusal to bend to his will, his arguments with her escalate until Kira realizes the breach between the Tremen and Terak is too large for her to mend.

'Her hopes for a future with Tierken shattered, she sets out for home, but the Sarsalin is full of dangers and enemies lie in wait.

'Caledon waits too as he struggles to reconcile his own want of Kira with the wants and needs of the stars.

'They travel south together and when they come upon a sick Shargh child, Kira begins to understand the brutal consequences of the fighting, and that bloodshed can only ever seed more bloodshed.

'Desperate to prevent future warfare, Kira resolves to offer the Shargh people healing, despite knowing it will likely cost her life. But when she reaches the Shargh settlement, she makes a shocking discovery that changes everything.

'There are Shargh women there who crave peace as she does, but she comes face to face with the man who believes her death will deliver him everything he desires, and as the final chilling part of the last Telling unfolds, she realizes for the first time, what is truly precious to her and what is worth fighting for.

'Will Kira survive to return to all she loves, or make the ultimate sacrifice as she strives for peace?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.