The Gates of Dawn: Volume II of the Chronicles of Blood and Stone
by By Newcomb, Robert
Category: Fiction , Fantasy , Historical

Epic fantasy found an exhilarating new voice in Robert Newcomb, whose monumental   debut novel, The Fifth Sorceress, was hailed by readers and critics alike. And now,   for all those spellbound by the tale of Prince Tristan, heir to the throne of Eutracia,   his twin sister Princess Shailiha, the ancient wizard Wigg, and the fate of their   enchanted land, there is indeed more—much more—to be told. . . . For three centuries, Eutracia was a kingdom at peace, ruled by a benevolent monarchy   and guided by a council of wizards. But a horror from the past, long believed vanquished,   returned with devastating fury. And when the battle against the bloodthirsty Sorceresses   of the Coven was finally won, victory was not without its price. Now, the royal palace   lies in ruins; the king and queen, the royal guard, and the Directorate of Wizards   are dead; the land is lawless; and Prince Tristan— forced by the Coven to murder   his father, the King—is a wanted man. In a cavernous underground labyrinth, once   headquarters of the wizards’ council, Tristan has taken refuge with his sister, Shailiha,   her infant daughter, the wizard Wigg—the lone surviving member of the Directorate—and   the crippled wizard Faegan, returned from self-imposed exile in the forest of Shadowood.   Together they face the daunting task of restoring order to Eutracia and winning back   the allegiance of her subjects. But suddenly, even these challenges pale beside a   truly terrifying turn of events. The sacred jewel that is the source of all magic   has inexplicably begun to lose its power. Without its age-old enchantment to sustain   their spells, the immortal wizards will perish . . . and magic will vanish from Eutracia   forever. At the same time, a mysterious and ruthless mercenary has declared a bounty   upon the head of Prince Tristan. And an army of wizards on a mission to rid Eutracia   of monsters created by the Coven has fallen prey to an insidious breed of creatures—beings   that can only have sprung from forbidden use of malevolent magic. With time and their   powers dwindling, Wigg and Faegan desperately seek to discover who, or what, has   succeeded the dead Sorceresses in laying siege to Eutracia. But when the shocking   truth is revealed, and an evil that transcends life itself is made known, it is Tristan,   more than any other, who will be stunned to his very soul. And it is Tristan who   will be thrust into the ultimate battle—for his life, his land, and the course of   his destiny.