The Feast (*Previously titled: THE SOWING OF REBELLION*)
Back of the Book:
Rebellion was sown…Revenge will be reaped…and The Feast for freedom awaits!
Delaterra, once a land of peace and prosperity, is tainted with suspicion and fear. The King’s Eyes and Ears, spies without conscience, hunt the Farmers, a group of Delaterran rebels who are dedicated to restoring Delaterra to her former glory. Yet there are whispers traveling fast on the wind, that the Farmers are not alone in their desire to rid the world of the Nameless One and the tyranny he sows. As The Feast draws near, a woman trapped in the body of a horse, an ex-knight, a seer, and an assassin must draw the factions together if they are to have any chance of success.
***
On the surface, Delaterra may seem like a pleasant place to live. Its citizens go about their lives with steadfast purpose, the country is not overwhelmed by poverty, and most citizens seem to rally behind King Marcus as he crushes rebellion. Yet there is subtle disquiet among the citizens as the economy slowly crumbles, neighbors disappear, and any who openly challenge the King’s actions are taken away for “questioning” by the King’s Eyes and Ears.
The neighboring nation Jerta was conquered years ago and now King Marcus reaches towards the North: his fist closes around Numar, a nation weak with grief and sickness. Is there no end to his greed, his lust for slaughter? There is hope for the Delaterrans! A group who call themselves the Farmers are organizing a rebellion. Slowly but surely, they gain the trust of a nation torn by fear and pride, duty and doubt. Only they suspect the real cause of Marcus’ insatiable desire for power.
Lady Flora Delarosa spends the majority (or perhaps the entirety…) of the first volume as Ashara, a white horse. Flora’s initial goal is revenge on the sorcerer who killed her family, but her interests change as she learns more about the world around her and what she has the ability to do for Delaterra. Her unlikely companion is Stellon Defuego, an ex-knight battling some serious emotional trauma who is also a member of the underground movement to usurp Marcus, King of Delaterra.
Lady Dagriella (Dagger) Musselupke is the half-Jertan daughter of renowned zerkar Sir Patik Musselupke. She is on a mission to get to the bottom of her confusing visions, which she believes will someday split her head open. Dagger accompanies Flora/Ash and Stellon partway through volume one and will rejoin them after she realizes they are in mortal danger.
Kevyn (Knives) Musselupke is brother to Dagger and spends half his time as a sacred Luna Knight and the other half orchestrating the assassination of King Marcus as part of the same underground movement Stellon belongs to. He is accompanied by young Numarian Prince Teodorik (whom he kidnapped) and Rik’s wetnurse, Freya.
The Salt Pine Prince (working title)
I started a sequel to THE FEAST featuring Marcus’ children, Prince Teodorik, a mysterious youth from the northern Salt Pines, and Darby Whitall’s daughter. Some threats are obvious, while others lurk far away, in foreign shadows. Young Rik has the weight of two countries on his strong shoulders when his life turns upside-down. In an instant, new possibilities exist; then, in the next instant, those very possibilities are in danger. In order to survive, our heroes have to trust the untrustworthy, and have faith in the past.