A Tale of the King's Blades

The Gilded Chain

As unwanted, rebellious boys, they find refuge in Ironhall . . . Years later they emerge as the finest swordsmen in the realm --

The King's Blades

A magical ritual of a sword through the heart binds each to his ward -- if not the king himself, then to whomever else the monarch designates -- with absolute loyalty. And the greatest Blade of them all was -- and is -- Sir Durendal.

But a lifelong dream of protecting his beloved liege from enemies, traitors, and monsters is dashed to bits when Durendal is bonded till death to an effete noble fop at his king's orders. Yet Destiny has many strange inscrutable plans for the young knight -- for a mission, a contest, and, perhaps, a treasure await him in a faraway land. But soon he finds himself enmeshed in treason and foul intrigues, compelled to betray the king he had hoped to serve. The Blades have ways to protect their own, but death and madness haunt the path to salvation -- and few ever return unscathed.

The Lord of the Fire Lands

As unwanted, rebellious boys, they found refuge in Ironhall . . . Years later they emerged as the finest swordsmen in the realm --

The King's Blades

Once bound, a Blade's life is no longer his own. Only death can break the gilded chain of enchantment that binds the bodyguard to the man he is sworn to defend. And never in living memory has a candidate refused the honor of serving his king . . . until now.

Young Wasp never intended to be a rebel. Yet, at the sacred ceremony of binding, he follows the lead of his friend Raider, and together they spurn the wishes of King Ambrose himself. Now Raider and Wasps are outlaws hunted by the very Blades whose ranks they were a breath away from entering, and joined together by a destiny that binds them more securely than any knot tradition and sorcery might tie. Amid the turmoil their "treachery" has inspired. Wasp and Raider must undertake a desperate journey into the heart of the dreaded Fire Lands. And the outcome of their terrifying confrontation with dark truth and darker magic in this realm of monsters, ghosts, and half-men will ultimately determine the fate of two kingdoms.

Sky of Swords

The mightiest swordsmen in the realm, they are bound by magic to defend their noble wards . . . to the death.

The King's Blades

The unloved child of the unscrupulous King Ambrose. Princess Malinda learned at an early age to fight for what was rightfully hers. Now, with the King's abrupt death, civil war has become her grim destiny. Making her uncertain way through the bloody labyrinth of schemes and betrayal, Malinda can trust none but the Blades of the Royal Guard. But the Blades themselves are in grave peril. And the young Queen faces the most crucial decision of her life; a choice that will either redeem her kingdom from chaos . . . or bring ultimate destruction down upon it, her Blades, and herself.

A Chronicle of the King's Blades

Paragon Lost

An extraordinary new chapter begins in the glorious saga of the greatest champions of all . . .

The King's Blades

Many legends have emerged from the shadows of Ironhall, yet surely non can surpass the greatness and glory predestined for Sir Beaumont -- possessor of the purest and strongest of hearts, and a mind as quick, keen, and accurate as his sword. But the day he sets out in the service of the elderly Lord Wassail turns to a black one, and young Beau's journey ends in horror and blood . . . and disgrace. Banished from the King's Blades, he now faces a grim future as a homeless pariah, a creature to be shunned and despised. But redemption can come from unexpected directions and in unrecognizable guises. Approached in secret by the legendary Durendal, now Grand Master of the Order, the dishonored paragon is offered one last chance to win back his weapon and his place among his brothers in arms. But to do so, Beau must ride alone back through the icy gates of Hell . . . and do battle with the Devil himself.

Impossible Odds

Elite warrior swordsmen, they are unequalled in any time or realm . . .

The King's Blades

The King has decreed that new Blades must be sworn into the service of the Grand Duke Rubin, deposed by a foul usurper and currently on the run. But none of the rough youths being readied at Ironhall posses the seasoning to survive what better, more skilled Blades already have not. Still, two woefully unprepared candidates are approached with an offer of an early bonding and probably death: deft byt dense, rude Ranter, and eager, impetuous Ringwood . . . with a third, the inadequate swordsman but potentially able spy Bellman, enlisted into their threadbare ranks. Joining the Duke's entourage along with the courageous and prescient White Sister Trudy, the would-be champions must restore a rightful ruler to the throne or die in the process. But before them waits an army of the dead. And the Duke whom the Blades must protect to the last drop of their lifeblood is not the liege they imagined . . .

Jaguar Knights

Supremely skilled warriors, bonded by magic, their destiny is to serve without question . . .

The King's Blades

The realm's most feared swordsman, Sir Wolf has earned his name, the "King's Killer," well. Unlike many of his brother Blades, however, Wolf detests his sworn duty to do the bloody bidding of a liege he can never respect. But when an impregnable fortress is breached and a former royal mistress is abducted by brazen assailants, Wolf must leap into the fray.

Burdened with the company of his disgraced brother, Sir Lynx -- the only Blade ever to lose his ward and live -- and shadowed by a mysterious Inquisitor with a secret agenda, Wolf must make his way across a landscape of nightmares vivid and terrible enough to chill any fearless heart. For somewhere in this dark, unfamiliar world, the fate of all Chivial hangs in the balance -- and it is the destiny of one reluctant Blade to tip the scales to salvation . . . or doom.

The King's Daggers

Sir Stalwart

Before they could be Blades . . . they were the King's Daggers

Young Stalwart, known as Wart to his fellow students, is expelled from the academy for the King's Blades, only to be plunged into a current of breathless intrigue and danger. Together with Emerald, a former White Sister, Wart must survive sorcery, swordplay, ambush, a chimera, a quagmarsh, and more, and uncover a devious plot to assassinate their king . . . and prove himself worthy of a place among the King's Blades.

The Crooked House

When the King's friend Digby dies mysteriously in the midst of a royal ceremony, Sir Stalwart and Emerald, a White Sister, are dispatched to investigate the evil lurking at the heart of the King's chambers. The two set off for an ancient lord's house, known as Smealey Hall, where they believe the source of evil lies. Stalwart invites Badger, a surly Blade-in-training, to join them on their journey, and the three must survive harsh terrain, sorcery, swordplay, and the company of a traitor . . . or another day may not dawn for the King's Daggers.

Silvercloak

A notorious killer stalks the king

The world's most deadly assassin has been hired to kill King Ambrose. Once again the King's Daggers are plunged into danger, because only White Sister Emerald can identify the killer's magic and only Sir Stalwart knows what he looks like. The two must trap the killer before he can strike at the king -- or at them.

As the trail of death leads back to Ironhall, the swordsmen school Stalwart so recently left, he finds he is a boy sent to do a man's job -- and Emerald is a girl sent to do a boy's!