The Garden of the Stone (The Stone Duology, #2)

A superior and original novel.-Publishers Weekly (starred review) ** At the heart of the Fortress lay the Garden. ** At the heart of the Garden lay the Stone. ** It was a living entity of power beyond understanding-not even by the men who had used its energies to control the unGifted masses, ever since the wrenching cataclysm that shattered the union of Hand and Mind and split the world centuries ago. Then came Bron, his arrival long foretold, destined to restore the balance between Hand and Mind. But Bron had other plans. He stole the Stone...and vanished. ** Now Bron's daughter Cariad, a powerful empath and skilled assassin, must follow the footsteps of a father she has never known, into the depths of the same Fortress. Waiting there is Jolyon, her father's deadly enemy, a man whose thirst for domination is matched only by his taste for blood...and who possesses the power to satisfy both appetites. Cariad must learn the secret of Jolyon's strength before it is too late. For just as her father's arrival was prophesied, so too is his return. And this time Jolyon is ready-for Bron to die. ** At the heart of the fortress lay the Garden. At the heart of the Garden lay the Stone. -- a living entity of power beyond understanding. Then came Bron, his arrival long foretold as the one who would restore the balance to a world torn asunder centuries ago. But Bron had other plans. He stole the Stone...and vanished. Now Bron's daughter Cariad, a skilled empath and assassin, must follow the footsteps of a father she's never known into the depths of the same fortress. Waiting there is Jolyon, her father's greatest enemy, a man whose thirst for domination is matched only by his taste for blood. Cariad must learn the secret of Jolyon's strength before it is too late. For just as her father's arrival was prophesied, so too is his return.