Ash and Ruin by Michael Eging

Rome has collapsed. Dark Forces eye the imperial remnants like birds of prey, ready to devour its carcass and any secrets hidden therein.

Among these, Arawn, ancient Celtic god of the afterlife, holds Erik of Birkenshire in his ruthless, etheric grip. As Erik dangles on the edge of undeath, facing an eternity as Arawn’s bloody enforcer, his only hope of salvations is an ancient weapon—a blade of such darkness as to pierce the Gray God’s shadowed hand and drive back his minions before they can swarm the living world.

Erik must cross the dregs of once-great civilizations, a wasteland of wondrous enigma, rife with legend, where he must face terrifying new enemies that will test both his courage and his faith . . . and uncover staunch new allies in unexpected places.

The epic sequel to Annwyn’s Blood, the acclaimed first installment of The Paladin of Shadow Chronicles.

Category: Fantasy – Arthurian

When Marianna kidnapped by unknown raiders, everyone expected a ransom demand to soon follow. But when weeks went by without word her father, High King Mattheus, dispatched teams of trusted warriors to find her and bring her assailants to account.

Young Erik, Scion of the House of Birkenshire, was one of these. Separated from his comrades and alone in hostile territories, he plunged headlong into forgotten vales and desolate coasts in pursuit, driven onward by precious memories of stolen tender moments. Then he stood before the grim fortress – wherein he found, not the innocent damsel, but a terrifying beauty borne of an ancient evil that bound his soul.

Now caught between two worlds, the knight must find a way to strike the fatal blow against a resurgent primal darkness.