Mask of Dragons (38 page)

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Authors: Jonathan Moeller

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Horror, #Dark Fantasy, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Historical, #Myths & Legends, #Norse & Viking

BOOK: Mask of Dragons
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Yet he had.

It shouldn’t trouble her. Undoubtedly Mazael and his crazed wife and the brittle Jutai girl had been buried alive with Azurvaltoria’s bloated carcass. 

And yet…

The doubt would not leave the Prophetess. 

“The valgasts,” said the Prophetess. “They are ready for war, so we shall summon them. They can hinder the path of our foes. And Basracus, as well. He needs something useful to do. Let him hunt down Mazael Cravenlock and his allies.”

Rigoric inclined his head in agreement. 

The Prophetess would succeed. Marazadra would be reborn, and all the world would know virtue in the shadow of her fear. 

And if Mazael Cravenlock tried to stop her, the Prophetess would just have to kill him first. 

THE END

Thank you for reading MASK OF DRAGONS Look for the final book of the MASK OF THE DEMONSOULED trilogy, MASK OF SPELLS, to appear in fall 2016. If you liked the book, please consider leaving a review at your ebook site of choice. To receive immediate notification of new releases, 
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Other books by the author

The Demonsouled Saga

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword.

Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury from devouring him.

But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.

The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.

The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.

The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.

To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.

Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.

For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself, and become the a god of torment and tyranny.

Unless Mazael can stop him.

Read
Demonsouled
for free. Mazael's adventures continue in
Soul of Tyrants
,
Soul of Serpents
,
Soul of Dragons
,
Soul of Sorcery
,
Soul of Skulls
, and
Soul of Swords
, along with the short stories
The Wandering Knight
,
The Tournament Knight
, and
The Dragon's Shadow
. Get the first three books bundled together in
Demonsouled Omnibus One
.

 

The Ghosts Series

 

Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.

Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.

Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.

And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.

Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.

The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.

And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.

Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.

Read
Child of the Ghosts
for free. Caina's adventures continue in
Ghost in the Flames
,
Ghost in the Blood
,
Ghost in the Storm
,
Ghost in the Stone
,
Ghost in the Forge
,
Ghost in the Ashes
,
Ghost in the Mask
, and
Ghost in the Surge
, along with the short stories
Ghost Aria
,
Ghost Claws
,
Ghost Omens
,
The Fall of Kyrace
,
Ghost Thorns
,
Ghost Undying
,
Ghost Light
, and
Ghost Dagger
, and the prequel novels 
Blade of the Ghosts
 and
Champion of the Ghosts
. Get the first three books bundled together in
The Ghosts Omnibus One
.

 

The Ghost Exile Series

 

Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.

But the victory cost her everything.

Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself.

And Caina is the only one that stands in its way...

Read
Ghost in the Cowl
,
Ghost in the Maze
,
Ghost in the Hunt
,
Ghost in the Razor

Ghost in the Inferno

Ghost in the Seal
, and
Ghost in the Throne
 along with the short stories
Ghost Sword
,
Ghost Price
,
Ghost Relics
,
Ghost Keeper
,
Ghost Nails

Ghost Lock
,
Ghost Arts
, and
Ghost Vigil
.

 

The Third Soul

 

RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.

Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.

And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face perils to both her body and her sanity.

And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.

If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.

And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help them.

Read
The Testing
for free. Rachelis's trials continue in
The Assassins
,
The Blood Shaman
,
The High Demon
,
The Burning Child
,
The Outlaw Adept
,
The Black Paladin
, and
The Tomb of Baligant
. Read the entire series in
The Third Soul Omnibus One
and
The Third Soul Omnibus Two
.

 

The Frostborn Series

 

A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.

But a shadow threatens to devour the kingdom.

RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.

But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the world in ice and a neverending winter.

CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.

For she alone holds the secret that can save the world…or destroy it utterly.

The secret of the Frostborn.

Read
Frostborn: The First Quest
, followed by
Frostborn: The Gray Knight
,
Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife
,
Frostborn: The Undying Wizard
,
Frostborn: The Master Thief
,
Frostborn: The Iron Tower
,
Frostborn: The Dark Warden
,
Frostborn: The Gorgon Spirit
,
Frostborn: The Broken Mage

Frostborn: The World Gate
, and 
Frostborn: The High Lords
, and the prequel novel
Frostborn: The Knight Quests
along with the short stories
The Orc's Tale
,
The Mage's Tale
,
The Thief's Tale
,
The Assassin's Tale
,
The Paladins's Tale
,
The Knight's Tale

The Soldier's Tale
, and 
The Soldier's Tale
. Read the first three books combined in
Frostborn Omnibus One
.

 

Mask of the Demonsouled Trilogy

 

MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK has prevailed over terrible foes and now rules the Grim Marches with firm justice. Yet ancient evils are stirring in the shadows, freed at last by Mazael's own hand. Unless Mazael fights with all his strength, the world will fall.

SIGALDRA is the last holdmistress of the Jutai nation, the final defender of her people. Now the darkness comes to devour the final remnant of Sigaldra's home and family. Even Sigaldra's courage may not be enough to turn aside the darkness.

Read
Mask of Swords
 and 
Mask of Dragons
 along with the short stories
The Ransom Knight
,
The Bronze Knight
 and
The Serpent Knight
.

 

The Tower of Endless Worlds

 

THOMAS WYCLIFFE just wants to finish his dissertation in peace and quiet. So when a man in a black robe appears in his closet, claiming to be the last of the Warlocks, Wycliffe figures it is a bad joke.

But he soon realizes the last of the Warlocks can give him power beyond imagining.

And all it will cost is his soul.

SIMON WESTER needs a job. Badly. So when a rich and powerful Senator offers him employment, he jumps at the chance. Sure, Simon expects to find some corruption, some shady deals.

He doesn't expect to find black magic.

LIAM MASTERE is a Knight of the Sacred Blade, defender of the mortal races. But can swords stand against guns? As bullets and bombs destroy his kingdom, Liam must risk everything to save his homeland's one chance of salvation.

By daring the horrors of the Tower of Endless Worlds…

Read
The Tower of Endless Worlds
for free. The saga of the Tower continues in
A Knight of the Sacred Blade
,
A Wizard of the White Council
, and
The Destroyer of Worlds
.

 

Cloak Games

 

In 2013, a gate to another world opened, and Elves used their magic to conquer Earth, crushing all resistance before them. 

Three hundred years after the Conquest, the exiled Elven High Queen rules an orderly but stagnant Earth, with humanity forced to fight in the High Queen’s war against the traitors on the Elven homeworld. 

Nadia Moran doesn’t care about that. She doesn’t care about the High Queen, or the Rebels seeking to overthrow her. All she cares about is getting her baby brother the treatments he needs to recover from his potentially fatal disease…and those treatments have a steep price.

Fortunately, Nadia has magic of her own, and she’s a very, very good thief.

Unfortunately, the powerful Elven lord Morvilind has a hold on Nadia. If she doesn’t follow his commands, her brother is going to die.

Of course, given how dangerous Morvilind’s missions are, Nadia might not live long enough to see her brother’s death… 

Read 
Cloak Games: Thief Trap
,
Cloak Games: Frost Fever
and
Cloak Games: Rebel Fist
.

About the Author

Standing over six feet tall,
USA Today
bestselling author Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.

He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works.

Visit his website at:

http://www.jonathanmoeller.com

Visit his technology blog at:

http://www.computerbeginnersguides.com

Contact him at:

[email protected]

You can 
sign up for his email newsletter here
, or watch for news on his 
Facebook page
 or 
Twitter feed
.

 

Glossary of Characters

 

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