Without Marcus

The curse of Madre Tierra has turned Prefect Marcus to stone and left his senior officers to continue the war without him. But none of them is Marcus Venadus. They all have their strengths but their weaknesses are even more glaring. And as they struggle to continue to prosecute the war, the mighty Qing empire is preparing to make its own gambit for control of the Jeweled Coast.

This volume includes Severus' Way, Command Decisions, and What the Storm Blew In.

Severus' Way: Black Vigil Severus Lupus never wanted to be a high-ranking officer who ordered thousands of men into battle. He enjoyed turning junior officers into men who could be counted upon no matter what the problem. He didn't ask to be promoted to command one of Prefect Marcus' new legions in the Jeweled Hills. He doesn't like rubbing elbows with his social betters and trying to be polite to them. And yet, that is just what his mission to Morganita calls for. The Morganitan Gente are turning on all foreigners in their land even though it is Marcus and his legion that put them in power. Faced with Diamonte and the Amatistan traitors in the south and a countryside ripe with hostile ambitious men in Morganita itself, Severus has to find a way to keep his legionnaires safe from both their enemies and their "allies." The leaders of Morganita have their own ideas about how to use the legion to further their ends, but they are about to learn that there is only one way to resolve the many problems confronting them—Severus' Way.

Command Decisions: After the harshest winter in living memory, four legion commanders and their men emerge from the snow to continue the war against Diamonte. Capitán Severus must find a way to guide the prickly and impulsive Regente Fermín in a campaign to drive the enemy out of southern Morganita. Lord Gundado must construct a plan through which his weakened cavalry can stop Diamonte from reinforcing their forces in Ópalo. Lord Evorik must deal with the treachery of former ally, Maga Yessenia of Hessonita. And Capitán Calidus must hold the remaining legion officers together in the face of the knowledge that Prefect Marcus has succumbed to the Curse of Madre Tierra and been almost entirely turned to stone. Unable to reverse the curse, Calidus must convince his officers to carry on the war. And if all of this wasn't challenging enough, the mighty Qing Empire is about to land on their shores. If these men can't make the right Command Decisions, the legion will be doomed.

What the Storm Blew In: Since he first arrived in Amatista, Prefect Marcus Venandus has warned his allies that the mighty Qing Empire seeks a foothold within the Jeweled Cities of the North. Now his predictions are coming true, yet Marcus. petrified by the curse of Madre Tierra, cannot rally the defense. Fragmented and fighting Diamonte in half a dozen locations, most of his legionnaires have no idea that the empire from across the Bottomless Sea is taking control of the waters off shore and moving to dominate the land. The storm winds have delivered an army that conquers with fell magics and undead to the Jeweled Coast. And if the legion can't stop them here, Marcus' beloved Aquila will be next.