Release date: January 23, 2020
Subgenre: Epic Fantasy
About Judgment of Honor:
THE STAGE IS SET…LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
After defeating Waykemin’s Witches Council, Katerin Leader and Rekaré Kinslayer face new challenges. Waykemin’s overseas ally, Chatain, Emperor of Daran, has abducted Katerin’s daughter Witmara. A new threat arises from the East which requires Katerin’s attention, so it falls to Rekaré to aid Witmara—which supports Rekaré’s vow for vengeance upon Chatain.
Meanwhile, Chatain’s estranged half-sister Betsona aids Witmara’s escape, and encourages her to overthrow Chatain. When Rekaré arrives in Daran, Betsona helps her. But does Betsona intend to use Rekaré and Witmara to become Empress?
At the same time, the rift between the Seven Crowned Gods splinters beyond recovery. How do the actions of Rekaré, Katerin, and Witmara play into the war between the Gods?
Battles at the Nerean Gate and the Spring Festival in Daran decide the fates of Gods and humans…and things will never be the same.
Excerpt:
“BY THE GODDESS’S GOLD NECKLACE, how did Chatain’s forces capture
my daughter?” Katerin ea Miteal, Leader of Medvara, dug her
fingernails into the soft pine chair arms as she glared down at the
shamefaced Council from her seat. It had taken her five days to get
back to Medvara so she could learn just exactly what it was that
had happened to Witmara. Five days. The need to know her daughter’s fate kept building once she had
arrived in Medvare-the-city—and not one word had been said about
her daughter. Five days.
Why won’t they tell me what happened?Granted, Witmara was almost eighteen and married to Toran, but…it
was hard to be just the Leader and not mother as well.
She would have yelled, except that her cousin Rekaré, Medvara’s
former leader, straightened up from slouching against one of the
Great Hall’s support posts and shook her head at Katerin.
Maybe you should come back up front and return as Leader! Katerin thought rebelliously, scowling at her cousin.
Not that Rekaré would do that. She’d made her choice seven years
ago. And after recent events in Waykemin, it was even less likely
that she would return to the Leadership.
Katerin sighed and softened her grip on the chair. “Witmara should
not have been so easily taken prisoner,” she said in a quieter
tone. Rekaré nodded approval of her softer voice.
She resisted the temptation to rub her aching forehead. It wasn’t
going to relieve the dull throbbing caused by three days travel on
water—waterstruck, an ailment limited to sorcerers—and a fast, hard military
campaign requiring her to wield far too much magic for—oh gods, she
couldn’t remember the exact number of days since she’d ridden out
with a small force to confront the Witches Council of Waykemin. Too
many days had passed, filled with worry and sleepless nights. Not
just about Witmara, but about Waykemin, and war with Chatain,
Emperor of Daran, on the other side of the ocean—just how are we to fight an enemy overseas? But battling Waykemin had to be done, for the future of the lands
of Varen. It was a first step toward confronting Chatain. He wasn’t
going to stop meddling in Varenese politics. He’d manipulated
Waykemin into that battle. He’d sent an apparent exile, Chiral, a
distant Ralsem cousin, to destroy Rekare’s leadership of Medvara.
It was possible he was organizing a larger invasion fleet than the
one that had kidnapped Witmara even now, from what his projection
had claimed in Waykemin.
More than Chatain, there was her worry about Rekaré.
Katerin let go of the chair and tapped her right fingers on the
arms as no one responded. Rekaré resumed her slouch.
Am I really that frightening?She wouldn’t think so. Then again, if her face was as lined and
grim as Rekaré’s, even without the red cap and cowl her cousin
wore—that might be good reason for her Council to hesitate before
answering.Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Apple | Scribd | 24symbols
About Joyce Reynolds-Ward:
Joyce
Reynolds-Ward is a speculative fiction writer who splits her time between
Enterprise and Portland, Oregon. Her short stories have appeared in Children
of a Different Sky, Steam. And Dragons, Tales from an Alien Campfire, River,
How Beer Saved the World 1, Fantasy Scroll Magazine, and Trust and
Treachery among others. Her books include Shadow Harvest, Alien
Savvy, Netwalking Space, Pledges of Honor, Challenges of Honor,
and Klone’s Stronghold. Joyce recently completed editing her first
anthology, Pulling Up Stakes. Besides writing, Joyce enjoys reading,
quilting, horses, skiing, and outdoor activities.
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