With the Leran threat laid to rest, Alec and Seregil are now able to turn their attention to the ancient evil which threatens their land. The Plenimarans, at war with Skalans, have decided to defeat their ancient enemy by raising up the Dead God, Seriamaius. The early attempts at this reincarnation--masterminded by the sinister Duke Mardus and his sorcerous minion Vargul Ashnazai--once left Seregil in a sorcerous coma. Now, an ancient prophecy points to his continuing role in the quest to stop Mardus in his dread purpose.Seregil's friend and Mentor, the wizard Nysander, has long been the guardian of a deadly secret. In a secret, silver-lined room hidden well beneath the Oreska, he has served for most of his 300 years as the keeper of a nondescript clay cup. But this cup, combined with a crystal crown and some wooden disks, forms the Helm of Seriamaius, and any mortal donning the reconstructed Helm will become the incarnation of the god on earth.Nysander holds the cup and Mardus the wooden disks--one of which was responsible for Seregil's coma--but the crown must still be located. Threatened under pain of death by Nysander to keep his quest a secret even from his loyal companion, Alec, Seregil is dispatched to find the last missing piece of the Helm so that he and Nysander can destroy it. But this is only the beginning of one of his deadliest journeys ever, for the prophecy also holds that four will come together in a time of darkness, and gradually all that Seregil values is placed at risk as he, Alec, Nysander and Micum are drawn into a deadly web of terror and intrigue.

Product Description

With their most treacherous mission yet behind them, heroes Seregil and Alec resume their double life as dissolute nobles and master spies. But in a world of rivals and charmers, fate has a different plan.…

After their victory in Aurënen, Alec and Seregil have returned home to Rhíminee. But with most of their allies dead or exiled, it is difficult for them to settle in. Hoping for diversion, they accept an assignment that will take them back to Seregil’s homeland. En route, however, they are ambushed and separated, and both are sold into slavery. Clinging to life, Seregil is sustained only by the hope that Alec is alive.

But it is not Alec’s life his strange master wants—it is his blood. For his unique lineage is capable of producing a rare treasure, but only through a harrowing process that will test him body and soul and unwittingly entangle him and Seregil in the realm of alchemists and madmen—and an enigmatic creature that may hold their very destiny in its inhuman hands…. But will it prove to be savior or monster?

From the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lynn Fleweling was born in Presque Isle, Maine, which—contrary to common assumption—is not an island. She received her undergraduate from the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where she majored in English, minored in History, and received a teaching certificate she had no intention of ever using. Since then, she has studied literature, veterinary medicine, ancient Greek among other things, and worked as a necropsy technician, a house painter, an office worker, a freelance editor, a freelance journalist (www.sff.net/people/Lynn.Flewelling/OtherWritings.html), and yes, even as a teacher now and then, an instructor of workshops—on creativity and fiction writing.

About the Author

Lynn Flewelling is best known for her Nightrunner series, as well as the Tamir Triad, and her work appears in a dozen languages. She also maintains a lively online presence with her website and her Live Journal, “Talk in the Shadows.” Born in northern Maine, Flewelling is happily transplanted in Redlands, California, with her husband and too many animals.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

*Chapter One

Safe Harbor*

DYING—even for just a little while—took a lot out of a person. Alec and his companions had arrived in Gedre last night and Alec had managed to stay on his horse as they rode up from the harbor to the clan house, but he’d spoiled it by fainting in the courtyard. Mydri had taken one sharp look at him and packed him off to bed in a room overlooking the harbor. And when their host saw Sebrahn, Riagil í Molan had ordered that the rhekaro stay hidden, too. Given Sebrahn’s strange appearance, Alec could hardly blame him. 

Winter rain lashed against the window across the room and the wind moaned in the chimney. Gedre harbor was barely visible, the ships anchored there just dark smudges in the mist. After their stormy crossing from Plenimar, it was rather nice to be in a soft bed that didn’t roll under him. He had no idea what time it was. When he’d awakened, Seregil was already gone, no doubt to speak with his sisters or their host, the khirnari. 

Sebrahn was curled up on the cushions of the window seat, gazing out—though at what it was impossible to say. The rhekaro might haveAlec’s childhood features, but it was impossible to pass him off as an ordinary child. His pale, silver-white hair hung nearly to the floor behind him. His white skin looked ghostly in the grey light, and his silver eyes were the color of steel. Riagil’s wife, Yhali, had replaced the rags Sebrahn had arrived in with soft Aurënfaie tunics, knitted stockings, and shoes that fit him, though Sebrahn seemed confused by the latter and kept taking them off. Just as any little child might do— *

But he’s not a child, is he? *

Pushing that thought away, Alec reached for the mug Mydri had left on the bedside table and sipped the medicinal broth. His hand shook a bit, spilling a few drops down the front of his nightshirt. 

He and Seregil had been in desperate condition when Micum and Thero had found them in Plenimar, but Sebrahn had been even worse. He was made of magic and had used a staggering amount to kill their pursuers in the Plenimaran wilderness, bring Alec back from Bilairy’s gate, and heal both Seregil and Alec. For the first few days of the voyage they feared that the wizened, depleted little rhekaro might have used himself up. Too weak to get out of his bunk, Alec had fed Sebrahn several times a day, squeezing blood from his fingertip onto the rhekaro’s little grey tongue.After a few days of this Sebrahn grew more alert and continued to improve. And today he seemed nearly himself again. 

Alec wondered how long Riagil and Mydri were going to keep him shut away up here. His long linen nightshirt was fresh, but he hadn’t had a proper bath since they’d escaped from the alchemist’s villa almost two weeks ago. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, which hung halfway down his back—lank and dirty. His fingers caught in snarls and tangles. Stretching out one long blond strand, he wondered—not for the first time—whether he should just cut it off, as Seregil had sacrificed his during their escape. Sebrahn was squirming around now. One by one, the borrowed shoes fell to the floor. The alchemist, Charis Yhakobin, had created the rhekaro to be nothing more than a sexless, voiceless tool—one whose unnatural flesh and strange white blood could, according to Yhakobin, be distilled for some kind of potent elixir. But Sebrahn and his illfated predecessor had been much more than that. Sebrahn might be sexless, but he was not voiceless, or mindless, either. 

“What do you see?” asked Alec. 

Sebrahn turned to look at him. “Ahek.” 

Alec chuckled. His name had been Sebrahn’s first halting word. Since then, he’d managed a few more for people, things, and a few actions. Understanding was another matter. Strangely, it didn’t seem to matter whether you spoke Skalan, ’faie, or Plenimaran to him. Tell him cup, *tyxa, or kupa, and if there was one in the room, he would fetch it. Sebrahn left the window seat and joined Alec on the bed, leaning against his side. Alec touched the rhekaro’s soft, cool little hand, noting the thin scars that ringed the base of several fingers where they’d grown back after Yhakobin cut them off for some experiment. 

Why didn’t you sing to save yourself? *

Alec gathered him close again, his heart beating a little faster. “No one is going to hurt you again, or take you away. If they try, we’ll leave.” 

Sebrahn looked around the room, then pointed out the window and said in his raspy little voice, “Leeeve.” 

“That’s right. On a ship. Can you say ‘ship’?” 

Sebrahn was not interested. 

“Chamber pot.” 

The rhekaro slipped off the bed and pulled the required vessel from under the bed. Alec made use of it and had Sebrahn put it back for the skutter to deal with. Now what? There didn’t appear to be anything he could do but watch the rain. It was a relief when he heard someone coming up the stairs to his door. 

Micum looked in and grinned. “That’s a long face!” 

“Where is everybody?” 

Micum came in and pulled a chair up beside the bed. “At breakfast. I came up to see if you’re awake. Hungry?” 

“Not really.” 

Micum held out his hands, and Sebrahn abandoned Alec for the big man’s lap. 

“Traitor,” Alec grumbled. Sebrahn had warmed to their tall, red-haired friend during the voyage. Sebrahn reached up to touch Micum’s thick, grey-streaked moustache, apparently puzzled that the big man had something on his face that his two beardless protectors didn’t.

“Uncle Micum,” Alec said with a smile. 

Micum laughed and kissed Sebrahn’s hand, just as if he were one of his own brood. “I like the sound of that. What do you say, little sprout?” 

Sebrahn didn’t say anything, just leaned against Micum’s broad chest and fixed his gaze on Alec. It was too easy to imagine anything he wanted in those eyes. What Sebrahn was really feeling—or if he could—remained a mystery. Alec and Micum were in the midst of a game of cards when Seregil came in with the wizards. Magyana looked most of her two centuries today; under a fringe of grey bangs, her lined face was pale and tired, but her eyes were kind as always. Thero, still in the youth of his first century, was tall and dark, with a thin beard and dark curling hair pulled back from a long, somewhat austere face. But his pale green eyes were warm, too, as he took in the sight of Alec and Sebrahn. 

“We need to talk,” Seregil said, sitting down on the bed beside Alec. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Micum said, putting Sebrahn on the bed and rising to go. 

“Please, stay,” said Thero. “We have no secrets from you in this matter.” 

This sounded serious, and all the more so when Magyana threw the latch and cast a warding on the room to keep out prying ears. 

“Now then, this creature—” she began, her lined face somber. 

“Please don’t call him that,” said Alec. “He’s a person and he has a name.” 

“He is not a person, my dear,” Magyana told him gently. 

“You may be right about the rest of it, but he’s not human, or ’faie, either.” 

“There’s something we need to tell you,” said Thero. 

“What is it?” 

“Thero sensed it, but not clearly, when he first saw Sebrahn in Plenimar,” Magyana explained. “It’s true that the rhekaro has been given the semblance of a child, but another form radiates beyond the physical. I don’t understand it, but what I see around him is the form of a young dragon.” 

Alec stared hard at Sebrahn, squinting his eyes, but saw nothing unusual. “A dragon? That’s impossible! Sebrahn was made from bits of—me!” Seregil was frowning at the younger wizard. “Why didn’t you tell us, Thero?” 

“I wasn’t sure what I was sensing. It’s Magyana who sees it clearly.” 

Magyana took Alec’s hand in hers. “Seregil has told me something of how Sebrahn was made. I believe you can tell me more. Do you know what materials he used?” Alec shifted uneasily; it was a time he didn’t really want to remember. “Sulfur and salt, tinctures—” 

“Nothing of dragons?” 

“I saw dried fingerling dragons hanging in his workshop, but I didn’t see him put any in.” 

“Very well. What else do you remember?” 

“There was something he called the ‘water of life’—some kind of silver, I think.” 

“Quicksilver?” asked Magyana. 

“Yes, that was it. He put that all in with my tears, blood, shit and piss, hair, and ...

Seregil y Alec, héroes heridos por una batalla cataclísmica, han decidido exiliarse durante los últimos años lejos de Eskalia, la tierra que los adoptó, para huir de sus amargos recuerdos. Pero la guerra continúa y su paz queda interrumpida por la llamada desesperada de la Reina Idrilain, que les pedirá que ayuden a su hija en un viaje a Aurénen, la misma tierra de la que Seregil fue expulsado en su juventud. Allí deberá enfrentarse a los demonios de su oscuro pasado, al tiempo que Alec descubre su propia e inimaginable herencia.

La luna del traidor es la tercera y última novela de la saga de El mensajero de la oscuridad, publicada con gran éxito en varios países.

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne.

Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line—and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.

As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew—his sister’s only child—grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny.

Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder...

As the orphaned nephew of the king, trusted companion to his cousin, and second heir to the throne of Skala, Prince Tobin’s future is clear. But not as clear as the spring in which a hill witch shows him his true face—and his secret destiny...

Now Tobin carries a burden he cannot share with even his closest friend, Ki, his squire. He is to rule—not as he is but as he was born: a woman. Given the shape of a boy by dark magic, Tobin is the last hope of the people of Illior--those who desperately seek a return to the old ways, when Skala was ruled by a line of warrior queens. They still believe that only a woman can lift the war, famine, and pestilence that have run rampant through the land since the king usurped his half sister’s throne. It is these outlaw wizards and witches who protect Tobin--and it is for them that Tobin must accept his fate.

With the unsuspecting yet fiercely loyal Ki at his side, Tobin must turn traitor against the only blood ties he has left. He must lift the masks of Skala’s rulers to show their true colors—before he can reveal the power of the woman within himself.

The gripping conclusion to the major new fantasy trilogy of necromancy and bone-chilling magic. Long ago Skala was ruled only by Queens, in accordance with prophecy. King Erius, fearing that the prophecy might be evoked as a means to dethrone him, had most of his female relatives assassinated. When his sister fell pregnant with twins, two of Skala’s wizards were warned by the oracle and took steps to conceal the girl who survived her twin brother at birth. Now Prince Tobin has been revealed as Princess Tamir, the true heir to the throne—and Skala has never been more in need of a true Queen. But at the age of fifteen Tamir is deeply confused by the new identity that has been thrust upon her, and feels betrayed by the wizards who tricked her and all her friends. Her demonic twin still haunts her, but now that the spell concealing her identity has been broken, the bond between them is severed. Brother is no longer under Tamir’s control, and he is bent on vengeance for the sins committed against him. Meanwhile Erius’s son Korin, Tamir’s beloved cousin, has claimed the throne and declared her a traitor. But as the country slides into civil war the people begin to acclaim Tamir as their saviour. Tamir strives to avoid conflict, but Korin’s weakness and Tamir’s honour will lead them to the ultimate clash of wills.

Maestro del subterfugio, astuto bribón de porte nobiliario, Seregil de Rhíminee ha enseñado a su protegido, Alec de Kerry, los principales secretos de su oficio. Juntos han realizado todo tipo de robos, grandes y pequeños, haciendo amigos y enemigos en un ambiente de peligro constante, aunque lleno de magia, camaradería y confianza.Pero ahora, mientras la patria que los ha adoptado se prepara para la guerra, el viejo mago Nysander envía a Seregil a enfrentarse a la prueba definitiva de lealtad, confiándole un conocimiento mortal que, de revelarse, le costaría la vida tanto a Seregil como a Alec. Y, a medida que éste descubre la asombrosa verdad sobre su misteriosa ascendencia, se verá catapultado junto a Seregil y un puñado de fieles compañeros a un caótico conflicto contra el mal… en el que la magia no bastará para protegerlos.

Cuando el joven Alec de Kerry es encarcelado por un crimen que no cometió, está convencido de que su vida toca a su fin. Pero no ha contado con su compañero de celda. Espía, pícaro, ladrón y noble, Seregil de Rhíminee es muchas cosas… y ninguna de ellas predecible. Y cuando ofrece a Alec tomarlo como aprendiz, puede que las cosas nunca vuelvan a ser iguales para ambos. Antes de darse cuenta, Alec está viajando por caminos que nunca supo que existían, en dirección a una guerra que nunca sospechó que se estuviera preparando. Pronto, Seregil y él se ven arrastrados a una siniestra trama que discurre por profundidades que ni siquiera alcanzan a imaginar, y que podría costarles mucho más que la vida si fracasan.

More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface. And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.

As the orphaned nephew of the king, trusted companion to his cousin, and second heir to the throne of Skala, Prince Tobin’s future is clear. But not as clear as the spring in which a hill witch shows him his true face—and his secret destiny… Now Tobin carries a burden he cannot share with even his closest friend, Ki, his squire. He is to rule—not as he is but as he was born: a woman. Given the shape of a boy by dark magic, Tobin is the last hope of the people of Illior—those who desperately seek a return to the old ways, when Skala was ruled by a line of warrior queens. They still believe that only a woman can lift the war, famine, and pestilence that have run rampant through the land since the king usurped his half sister’s throne. It is these outlaw wizards and witches who protect Tobin—and it is for them that Tobin must accept his fate. With the unsuspecting yet fiercely loyal Ki at his side, Tobin must turn traitor against the only blood ties he has left. He must lift the masks of Skala’s rulers to show their true colors—before he can reveal the power of the woman within himself.

Para Seregil y Alec, maestros espías, el riesgo no es algo extraño. Sus misiones secretas para magos y nobles los han llevado a muchas situaciones mortales, pero a veces el mayor peligro se oculta bajo la luna del traidor.Los dos, héroes heridos por una batalla cataclísmica, han decidido exiliarse durante los últimos años lejos de la tierra que los adoptó, Eskalia, para huir de sus amargos recuerdos. Pero la guerra continúa y su paz queda destrozada por la llamada desesperada de la Reina Idrilain, que les pedirá que ayuden a su hija en un viaje a Auréren, la misma tierra de la que Seregil fue expulsado en su juventud. Allí, en un fabuloso reino de magia y honor, éste deberá enfrentarse al fin a los demonios de su oscuro pasado, al tiempo que Alec descubre su propia e inimaginable herencia. Y, atrapados entre la desesperada necesidad de Eskalia y las viejas intrigas de los Aurënfaie, pronto se verán enredados en una creciente telaraña de traiciones y engaños.

Under the rule of a usurper king, the realm of Skala has suffered famine, plague, and invasion. But now the time for the rightful heir has come, a return to the tradition of warrior queens. And the Lightbearer’s prophecy is to be upheld at last: so long as a daughter of the royal line defends and rules, Skala will never be subjugated. Now a mystical fire has burned away the male body known as Prince Tobin, revealing Princess Tamír, a girl on the verge of womanhood–and a queen ready to claim her birthright after a life in disguise under the protection of wizards and witches. But will her people, her army–and the friends she was forced to deceive–accept her? Worse, will the crown’s rival heir, friend to Tobin, turn foe to Tamír, igniting civil war in a fierce battle for Skala?

With their most treacherous mission yet behind them, heroes Seregil and Alec resume their double life as dissolute nobles and master spies. But in a world of rivals and charmers, fate has a different plan... After their victory in Aurëren, Alec and Seregil have returned home to Rhíminee. But with most of their allies dead or exiled, it is difficult for them to settle in. Hoping for diversion, they accept an assignment that will take them back to Seregil's homeland. En route, however, they ambushed and separated, and both are sold into slavery. Clinging to life, Seregil is sustained only by the hope that Alec is alive. But it is not Alec's life his strange master wants - it is his blood. For his unique lineage is capable of producing a rare treasure, but only a harrowing process that will test him body and soul and unwittingly entangle him and Seregil in the realm of alchemists and madmen - and an enigmatic creature that may hold their very destiny in its inhuman hands... But will it prove to be savior or monster?

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne. Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace. As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew — his sister’s only child — grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny. Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder…

Dissolute nobles, master spies, and the unlikeliest of heroes, Alec and Seregil have survived exile, treachery, and black magic. But the road that lies ahead is the most hazardous they’ve ever traveled. For with enemies on all sides, they must walk a narrow path between good and evil where one misstep might be their last. Having escaped death and slavery in Plenimar, Alec and Seregil want nothing more than to go back to their nightrunning life in Rhíminee. Instead they find themselves saddled with Sebrahn, a strange, alchemically created creature—the prophesied “child of no woman.” Its moon-white skin and frightening powers make Sebrahn a danger to all whom Alec and Seregil come into contact with, leaving them no choice but to learn more about Sebrahn’s true nature. With the help of trusted friends and Seregil’s clan, the duo set out to discover the truth about this living homunculus—a journey that can lead only to danger or death. For Seregil’s old nemesis Ulan í Sathil of Virèsse and Alec’s own long-lost kin are after them, intent on possessing both Alec and Sebrahn. On the run and hunted, Alec and his comrades must fight against time to accomplish their most personal mission ever.