Song of the Arkafina

Yrth... a place of ordered beauty - and undreamed terror. A magical realm where winged Amaranthine hide in the shadow of humankind, while selfishly exploiting them. A universe of countless dimensions; where an unwary sideways step might carry you to Death's silent Kingdom - or beyond, to the very heart of the rising Gyre. Now into this world comes Katrione, a born healer. The Amaranthine need her, for she is destined to become the Vessel of the Goddess Lalluna and a pawn in the battle against their enemy. And Katrione's fellow citizens are also desperately in need of a healing touch, as they suffer through an endlessly bloody civil war. The difficult choices that Katrione must make - between humankind and Amaranthine - true love and responsibility - sworn oath and unhappy truth, make for compulsive reading. Heart of Hythea is the first book in the "Song of the Arkafina" series.

Queen Katrione Arkafina ably rules the kingdom of Beaumarais, but she has had less success with her boisterous daughter, Gwenn, born under the sway of a brutal Goddess, who convinces Gwenn she must seek revenge for an old betrayal. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Gwenn runs away. After she allies herself with some marauding coastal raiders she has the army she requires. Now, as the dreaded warrior Faircrow, Gwenn will steer the Fynära inexorably towards her former home...

The island of Asaruthe has sheltered the Dawnmaid, Myriadne, for the past sixteen years, but Yr has fallen prey to a deadly plague, and it is clear she must leave soon. Katkin travels with Myriadne to help her free the Firaithi from Maggrai's diabolical laboratory. Meanwhile, Gunnar Strong Arm's twin sons, Jakob and Lut, are feuding with each other. When Jakob carelessly gap shifts, he leaves a trail that Maggrai's minions can follow back to Asaruthe. The death and havoc they wreak will send Lut on a mission of vengeance against Maggrai and his brother. In the final battle, the Dawnmaid must find a way to converse with her enemies, the Angellus, before they attack the secret haven of the Firaithi with their unquenchable fire. What is it they have been defending through all the turns of the Gyre? The answer astonishes both Amaranthine and human alike... Beyond the Gyre is the final book in the "Song of the Arkafina" series.