The Amber Crown
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In this new epic fantasy, three societal outcasts must work together to fulfill the orders of a dead king's ghost or risk their nation falling to a tyrant
The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.
Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he's been accused of the murder, and he's on the run. He's sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn't believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.
Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she's given a task by Valdas' dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.
Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he's to have a future.
Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bedford (the Psi-Tech series) confidently mixes magic and romance in this spellbinding fantasy, which opens with the assassination of the Zavonian King Konstantyn. Lord Gerhard Zamoy swiftly seizes power and hangs Konstantyn's council members. Valdas Zalecki, High Guard captain and Konstantyn's friend, manages to evade this fate and vows to avenge his dead king. Now a fugitive, he flees Zavonia to seek help, and along the way, meets the Bakaishan witch, Mirza. Meanwhile, Konstantyn's assassin, Lind, tries desperately to escape the city, but a new job pulls him back and leaves him deeply entangled in court politics. As the three cross paths, they discover a common enemy: the mastermind behind the assassination. Though some secondary characters remain sketchy, Bedford smoothly intertwines Valdas's, Mirza's, and Lind's narratives as the mystery of Gerhard's plans for Zavonia and its dark magic unfolds. Meanwhile, the sexual tension between Valdas and several female characters provides moments of respite from the action in multiple steamy scenes. Fantasy readers will find plenty to enjoy.