The False Martyr

Continuing the epic tale that started with From Across the Clouded Range, The False Martyr is the story of a world thrown into turmoil by an invasion from across a seemingly impassible range of mountains and the conflict between chaos and order that ensues.

Having shown their power with the destruction of Thoren, the Darthur and their Exile allies force the surrender of the Unified Kingdoms, sending shockwaves across a continent. Caught in the center of this struggle are

•Dasen and Teth, a young couple pursued at every turn because of Dasen’s ability to use the magical powers of the Exiles

•Dasen’s father, Ipid, the wealthy industrialist who has been captured by the invaders and turned into their unwilling puppet

•Imperial Warlord Jaret Rammeriz, whose failed attempt to overthrow the Emperor has left him without emotion or the freewill to avoid the Order’s dictates

•Lius, a young monk learning to use his mystical ability to control the Order

•And Cary, a courier who travels to the forbidden land of the Morgs as part of a delegation seeking their aid in the coming battle.

After narrowly surviving the battle outside of Thoren, Teth wakes alone in the compound of the cultish Weavers. Struggling with the emotional aftermath of the battle, she searches for Dasen but finds him only after she has learned a terrible truth that changes the course of her life. Escaping again from the creatures that are hunting them, Dasen and Teth arrive in a city under the grip of martial law. The most wanted man and woman in the world, they are soon embroiled in a rebellion where nothing is what it seems. Devastated by the Weavers’ revelations, driven from Dasen, Teth hatches a final desperate plan to free Dasen and give herself peace.

Forced to rule the Unified Kingdoms after its surrender, Ipid must balance his desire to secure a future for his country with the need to deliver the invaders’ ruinous terms. But the biggest threat to his country and himself may be his growing and mutating relationship with Eia, who has become his advisor, confidant, and lover.

On the other side of the continent, Lius, a young monk, receives an extraordinary book, learns that he can control the Order, and watches as the head of the Church is brutally murdered. Pursued by creatures from a nightmare, trying to understand his newfound powers, he joins Jaret Rammeriz in a frantic struggle to build a rebellion. But with the Emperor’s armies in constant pursuit, only the most harrowing sacrifices will allow them to continue the fight.

Finally, in the far north, Cary finds himself at the center of a complex plot that threatens to upend the very basis of Morg society. But when he meets Noe, the beautiful, but horribly scarred and abused, Mother of Eselhelt Lodge, he must overcome his own memories and emotions to save Noe, his country, and himself.

And underlying it all are the machinations of the Weavers, who have spent centuries manipulating the very Order of the world to prepare for the Exiles’ return. Caught between the invaders’ brutality, the Exiles’ chaotic powers, and the Weavers’ merciless manipulations, our heroes must fight for their survival, sanity, and each other if they are to uncover the truth about what is happening to their world.