In a world where the cultural divide between the magic-fearing North and the spell-saturated South defines every life, freedom is a legend written in blood. Gard Halfman is a legend of the arena, his body adorned with nine tattoos-each a trophy of a tournament won. He is only one victory away from the mythical tenth tattoo, the one rumored to grant a slave permanent freedom. But when his master is murdered and Gard is sold to a ruthless slaver intending to use him as fodder for war, his path to the arena is severed. Khyanne Baerley is a "second-story" rogue struggling to survive the slums of Ironburgh while burdened by a massive criminal debt. When she infiltrates a nobleman's estate looking for gold, she escapes with a far more dangerous prize: Gard's deed of ownership and a jeweled hourglass amulet. As the unlikely pair flees toward the high-stakes Winter's Eve Tournament in Riverkeep, Khyanne discovers the artifact's horrific secret: magic is never free. Pursued by relentless assassins and caught in a web of international intrigue, the gladiator and the thief must survive a final, brutal gauntlet. In the blood-stained dirt of the colosseum, Gard will fight for a freedom he no longer believes in, while Khyanne must decide if saving the man she loves is worth the ultimate sacrifice of her own life. The Last Tourney is a gritty, high-stakes adult sword & sorcery fantasy adventure that explores the true cost of magic and the heavy price of liberty.
