For the first time in one volume, the complete story of Rethana Chosardal — bell-ringer, mischief-maker, magic-wielder.
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How far can a woman bend and not break?
Gifted with forbidden magic, Rethana Chosardal thought hiding for ten years in a remote southern bell tower meant she was safe. But when she makes one foolish, selfish choice, the vengeful clerics who murdered most of her family seize her — along with her only friends and her frail little sister.
Now Allasin, her chief captor, plots to use Rethana's magic for his own fiendish purposes. Desperate to free her sister and friends, Rethana needs an edge. But only Allasin can unlock the full power of her craft, and he won't teach her unless she submits to his arcane intrigues. When this cold, cruel adversary betrays hints of a warmer soul, Rethana finds herself falling under a wholly different kind of spell.
But new threats loom. Rethana's sister falls ill. The elusive, nomadic Soldan claim Rethana as their weapon for overthrowing her land's malicious sovereign. As civil war breaks out, the vicious Skardi Queen sweeps down from the icy north in a wave of insidious, ancient magic none can hope to fight.
Torn from the side of her dying sister, battered in the storms of strife, Rethana has no safe haven. Friends and lovers are out of reach, and two great monarchs set their sights on her. All alone in a hellish tempest of enemies and fears, Rethana must choose between her own ambitions and the final deed that will save her people…but cost her everything.
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AUTHOR'S PREFERRED TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Rethana's story first appeared over a decade ago in the novels Rethana's Surrender and Rethana's Trial. Now, for the first time, read this action-packed, epic fantasy as a single, newly-revised volume. Enjoy the "extras" inside: "Rethana's Tower," the short story that started it all; maps and genealogies; and more!