A March into Darkness: Volume II of The Destinies of Blood and Stone (Newcomb, Robert, Destinies of Blood and Stone, V. 2.)

The defeat and death of the evil Wulfgar should inspire a time of rejoicing throughout Eutracia. But Prince Tristan grieves. Not only is his beloved wife dead, but across the Sea of Whispers, in the island fortress known as the Citadel, Wulfgar's bride, the sorceress Serena, plots to continue her husband's nefarious plans, aided by the Scroll of the Vagaries and the advice of the otherworldly Heretics. Although the ranks of Tristan's faithful soldiers were decimated in recent battle, the prince nevertheless plans a bold surprise attack.But on the eve of the mission, disaster strikes. From behind the towering azure wall of magical energy in the forbidding face of the massive Tolenka Mountains comes Xanthus, a powerful warrior dispatched by the Heretics to bring Tristan into their mysterious realm. A master of a mystical martial art against which even the great swordsman Tristan is helpless, Xanthus launches a reign of terror against Eutracia's innocent subjects, compelling Tristan to journey behind the azure wall. There, in a magical land as beautiful as it is violent, Tristan will learn the shocking truth about the destiny he and Shailiha, his sister, will share.In Tristan's absence, Shailiha must lead the fleet of Black Ships against the Citadel, accompanied by the wizards Faegan and Wigg and the beautiful pirate queen Tyranny. But unknown to them, Serena has prepared a deadly trap with hellish creatures summoned by the Heretics. And as Shailiha's troops sail blindly into danger, Serena is preparing a spell unlike anything the world has ever seen--a spell powerful enough to defeat death itself.From the Hardcover edition. The defeat and death of the evil Wulfgar should inspire a time of rejoicing throughout Eutracia. But Prince Tristan grieves. Not only is his beloved wife dead, but across the Sea of Whispers, in the island fortress known as the Citadel, Wulfgars bride, the sorceress Serena, plots to continue her husbands nefarious plans, aided by the Scroll of the Vagaries and the advice of the otherworldly Heretics. Although the ranks of Tristans faithful soldiers were decimated in recent battle, the prince nevertheless plans a bold surprise attack. But on the eve of the mission, disaster strikes. From behind the towering azure wall of magical energy in the forbidding face of the massive Tolenka Mountains comes Xanthus, a powerful warrior dispatched by the Heretics to bring Tristan into their mysterious realm. A master of a mystical martial art against which even the great swordsman Tristan is helpless, Xanthus launches a reign of terror against Eutracias innocent subjects, compelling Tristan to journey behind the azure wall. There, in a magical land as beautiful as it is violent, Tristan will learn the shocking truth about the destiny he and Shailiha, his sister, will share. In Tristans absence, Shailiha must lead the fleet of Black Ships against the Citadel, accompanied by the wizards Faegan and Wigg and the beautiful pirate queen Tyranny. But unknown to them, Serena has prepared a deadly trap with hellish creatures summoned by the Heretics. And as Shailihas troops sail blindly into danger, Serena is preparing a spell unlike anything the world has ever seena spell powerful enough to defeat death itself. From the Hardcover edition. From Wikipedia A March into Darkness is a novel written by American author Robert Newcomb. It is the second in the The Destinies of Blood and Stone series. Read more - Shopping-Enabled Wikipedia on Amazon In the article: Plot introduction From Publishers Weekly For lovers of Dragonlance-style fantasy, Newcomb's second entry in his Destinies of Blood and Stone series (after 2005's Savage Messiah ) wonderfully captures the imagination with wildly overblown characters and improbable battle scenes. On the other hand, fans of more cohesive epic fantasy may find tiresome the convoluted action sequences featuring Prince Tristan, who the author constantly reminds the reader serves as a sort of prophetic pawn. Tristan's endowed blood is the most potent in the land of Eutracia, but he has never been trained to use the magic inside him—nor does he appear to want to learn. Instead, Tristan becomes enamored of a martial-arts mystical state called K'Shari, which makes the recipient nearly invincible in battle. Those who prefer their fantasy full of blood and torture, with a cast restricted to good people and evil nemeses, will be most rewarded. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Prince Tristan must gain control of his own nascent magical abilities as he gathers a couarageous band of wizards and warriors to battle an evil emissary, summoned by the forces of darkness, whose goal is the total destruction of anyone in his path