In this third and final installment of Anna Kendall's Soulvine Moor Chronicles, it's a race against time-and against death itself-if Roger is going to save both of his worlds.
It's a question of life, death-or something even worse
Roger has faced down Queens, barbarians, dangerous ghostly dogs, and even armies. There is one challenge left: to stand against the mysterious Soulviners and their dangerous plans to dominate the Land of the Dead. His friends held captive, his true powers still undiscovered, it's possible only the legendary bright and terrible sword can save them now.
A fast-paced, character-driven story, this tale is packed with action, emotion, and danger.
Sometimes a choice between life and death is no choice at all…
Whether it's a curse or a blessing, the fact remains: whenever Roger is in enough pain he can cross over to the Land of the Dead and speak to the people there. It's an unexpected gift-and one that, throughout Roger's life, has been taken advantage of by his violent uncle; the mysterious, malign Soulviners performing their dark magic on Soulvine Moor; and even by a queen, fighting for her queendom with every possible weapon she can find.But not anymore. The dangerous life of queen's fool is behind him, young Princess Stephanie sits on the throne, and Roger is living a life of his choosing. He, Maggie, and Jee have a small, out-of-the-way, increasingly prosperous inn, supported by their hard work. It's a simple, industrious life-and it's about to be destroyed.
The war is not over. The savage invaders are back. And they're looking for the boy who killed their leader. They're looking for Roger.
Whether it's a curse, or a blessing, or an ability, the fact remains that whenever Roger is injured or in enough pain he crosses over to the land of the dead. Once there, there are rules. Only the newly dead will talk, for example, and nothing will raise the longer dead from their tranquility. There are rules in the land of the living as well, rules which would have Roger hanged for witchcraft if he was ever caught. But refusing to cross over isn't an option. His uncle depends on Roger to hide under the table in their fairground act, listen to the recently bereaved asking questions of their dear departed, and then cross over to find the answers. It's a hard way of life, made all the harder as his uncle's fists usually provide the trigger for Roger to cross over. It's not the only way of life, though, and when Roger sees a chance to escape he fights for it-little knowing that love, loss, shocking revelations and, ultimately, war lie ahead of him.
