Bøker av Tom Raley

Four convicted killers, all sentenced to death, await their fate in the horrific confines of the northern dungeons. Life is brutal and hope all but extinguished when they are summoned before the governor. Expecting their sentences to be carried out, they instead find the governor struggling with a moral dilemma. Who has the right to take the life of another? The governor, under intense pressure from the magistrates and his own daughter, decides on a most unconventional solution. He will allow fate to decide who lives, and who dies. The Northern territory's annual festival is underway, and this year it coincides with the Festival of the Arrow, the archery championship of the entire kingdom. The convicted men, if they choose, will ride in a wagon used as the target for the long range archery competition. If they survive the two day ordeal, they will earn their freedom. They each reflect on how they got here, what awaits them should they earn their freedom, and how they are to deal with the onslaught of dozens of potentially lethal arrows showering down upon them. Emotions are raw, the fear tangible, and the stakes literally life and death. How will each cope, and who if anyone will fate allow to survive, the execution games.

The outpost is the most remote and isolated in the kingdom, secluded and unreachable for much of the year. Battered by unforgiving winter storms and the devil's wind, the outpost is home to a most unusual and unique group. These men and women, shunned embarrassments, outcasts and criminals, desire only to go unnoticed in the frozen wasteland. In a land ruled by snow bears, wolves and the bitter winter, life can be harsh, and often quite short.Each winter the vicious winds drive ships to their doom along the rocky northern shores. These wrecks rarely leave survivors and only occasional scraps for the scavengers and looters. A new wreck not only brings a survivor, but a new threat. Anouk, a mysterious young lady, travels with enchanted documents that could spell doom for the entire kingdom.Anouk reveals the Artifacts of Condir, long thought to be nothing but myth, are in fact real. The documents she carries tell the location of the artifacts. If the three artifacts are ever brought together it will bring about a catastrophic event that will bring down the king and destroy much of the kingdom. Now the outcasts and misfits must band together to save the king and perhaps the kingdom in a fight none wanted, or expected. With the power to turn back time and a band of undead barbarians, the Warlock pursuing the documents presents a very formidable opponent. To defeat him will require stealth, teamwork and sacrifice. All will not survive, in the battle to possess, the Artifacts of Condir.

For more than a thousand years the King's Knights have defended the 3rd Kingdom. An extension of the King's power and authority, these brave men face any foe without hesitation. In all their glorious history never have they allowed a woman to join their ranks. This tradition stands in the way of Myca's dream of becoming a knight. She posses the skills, the bravery and the determination, but she is denied the opportunity to prove herself worthy. Unwilling to simply accept her fate, Myca sets out on a grand quest to prove herself not only to her oppressors, the village bullies and the narrow-minded bureaucrats, but to herself as well.Myca, with her lifelong friend Florian, travels to Beggar's Canyon, a refuge for all that is vial, where justice seldom visits and the lines between right and wrong are at best, blurred. Myca must venture into the depths of the tombs, visit Dragon's Howl prison, the most haunted place in the kingdom, then do battle with inhuman beasts in the underground at Cedar's Point. If she is successful, she will prove herself worthy. If she fails, it could cost her everything, including her life.