Nor does he want to be one.He spends his days in the royal library, poring over old manuscripts, studying archaic languages and playing chess. He’s never been like Krollis, his fearless twin brother, who is an expert swordsman and hunts wild beasts in the forests.When an army of vizzens, the fearsome old enemy of Korin, attacks from the east and Krollis disappears, Endomer is left in charge of the country. He struggles to find a way to save his people while his soldiers are dying and his citizens are forced to flee. As he fights to gain the respect of the palace court, he discovers a threat coming from within the palace walls. There is no one he can trust.He isn’t only fighting for his country – he’s fighting for his life.Fans of Megan Whalen Turner and Jennifer A. Nielsen will enjoy this story of political intrigue and betrayal.

    “Let the king know. Your servant kept his father’s sheep. There came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock. And when the lion arose against me, I caught the lion by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. I also slew the bear, my lord. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD God that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”The king’s eyes closed. “I fear to send you, my son. I fear what the giant will do to you. You have yet to witness his great strength.” He hesitated. “But I do believe the LORD is with you. I pray that He is. Our honor, our nation, our lives rest upon you, my servant. Go, and Jehovah be with you.”David left the tent, but only Jonathan followed him. The king’s son walked over to a pole that bore a flag of challenge. It had lain unused on the ground for these past forty days, but now Jonathan hoisted it high and slammed the butt hard into the earth to steady it. The red flag waved defiantly in the small breeze of the late afternoon.A roar of approval rose from the ranks of Hebrew soldiers, and from the valley below, Goliath beheld the challenge flag and beat upon his breastplate in pleased battle lust. He shouted, “Come then! Send me a man that we may fight!”David took a deep breath, eyeing the monstrous giant. Then he bounded down the slope to meet his fate and fulfill the duty of his anointing.

    When it comes to Indian folk tales, the country of diverse religions, languages and cultures has a complete range of tales and short stories. This collection brings together stories of sacrifice, courage, might, deceit and righteousness that give a panoramic view of the rich cultural heritage of India. Read, absorb and enjoy this wonderful collection of all-time tales.

    Someone however doesn't share Sam's joy and it's only when they set out to destroy her reputation does Sam really need help from the other side...Follow Sam's hilarious journey of self-discovery as she adjusts to being a grown up version of the kid from The Sixth Sense and discovers that love can often be right under your nose.

    Going back to his old life.The one that cost him his wife…Michael Brady was a high-flying detective, working on a high-profile case.And much too close to the truth.Someone arranged a hit-and-run.But they missed Brady. And hit his wife.And after six months sitting by her bed, he took the only decision he could take. He turned the machine off.Now he’s back home in Whitby. Trying to rebuild his life. And be a good dad to his teenage daughter.But when his best friend is murdered Brady – unwillingly at first – is drawn into the investigation.And when the only people he has left are threatened, he finds there’s only one answer.Going back to his old life…

    So he's making it up as he goes along. An old flame has contacted him looking for a place to go. She teaches at the only school for wizards on the continent and took responsibility for several of the students when the school was evacuated. The country is falling apart, the Board's still punishing him for actions taken in his teens, and now they're showing a renewed unhealthy interest in him. Michael needs to be able to offer a safe haven to Rynn and the students, but he can't bring himself to ignore the problems of those around him, either. There are always more things to do than time to do them in and, of course, a man with a gun can pose a serious problem, even to a wizard.

    For the special edition slipcase please go here.You know the drill by now. The 2020 Short Story Advent Calendar is a deluxe box set of individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America. This year's slipcase is a thing of beauty, too, with electric-yellow lining and spot-glossed lettering. It also comes wrapped in two rubber bands to keep those booklets snug in their beds.

    . . The last thing Logan wants to do with his entire summer is go to some fake mythology-themed camp, but that’s exactly what he’s stuck doing. When he gets there, it’s even worse than he imagined. Each bunk has to re-enact one of the twelve labors of Hercules, sword fighting and all. The whole thing is ridiculous . . . at least he thinks it is until he finds out that everything is real: Mount Olympus, the three Fates who run the trading post, and . . . oh wait! That can’t really be a Hydra, can it?Worst of all, nothing will ever change because Hera has placed a curse on Hercules, making the labors repeat over and over forever. Logan and his friends decide to break the curse, but everything is going against them: a grouchy old sea god, a dragon with one hundred heads, vampire tree-nymphs, and Hera, the queen of the gods herself. Can Logan, Harper, and Daniel break the curse before it’s too late?Don't miss this first adventure in the Camp Hercules series perfect for Rick Riordan fans!

    When their van breaks down outside of Morganton, North Carolina, the group decides to hike up nearby Brown Mountain while they wait for the repairs to be finished. Lizzie’s interest in nature prompts her to go on a walk by herself, hoping to get a glimpse of the legendary Brown Mountain Lights. When she unexpectedly encounters one, she naively reaches out to touch it and is thrown back in time to a place and lifestyle she comes to hate—the Antebellum South. Lizzie is taken in by three sisters who are healers. With them, she is able to put her knowledge as a medical student to good use. She finds a trusted friend in Abbie, the youngest sister, and through a budding romance with the son of a plantation owner is drawn into the dangerous world of the Underground Railroad. With a bloody and violent war looming on the horizon, at a time when women are looked upon as less than equal, Lizzie struggles to accept the differences that surround her every day in this new and challenging world. Wanting nothing more than to return home, she and Abbie continually search for the light Lizzie travelled through, hoping it will take her back to her time. But if she finds it, will she decide to stay or go?

    At 11, he looks big and strong for his age. His kind mother, Geeta is a rural Indian archetype: the overworked, stressed-out, barely-keeping-it- together single mother. His father is in prison for multiple robbery cases. The villagers are cold and overbearing, and his schooldays are made hellish by bullies. If this wasn’t enough, he has nightmares and uncanny callings from the age-old monstrous Peepal tree that lays on his way to school. The legend is a monster called Brahma Rakshas, living under this tree, for years unknown to people, lures kids with the black devil fruits and then makes them wrestle until one dies.And, one stormy night, the legend comes true when Brahma Rakshas meets Sarja. Set in a fictional village of Deogiri; a small haven of human civilization, away from the din of city life, this story is an adventure ride filled with riddles and monster wrestling.

    Page has certain operant conditioning and vaguely remembered instructionsthat will kick in at certain points as you get to know each other.Here is what you need to know at this point:I am the ‘Old Page’; she is the ‘New Page’.

    This is because, in the war-torn Great South, beauty is a currency, and to have it means you will never have to worry about a thing. The only problem is: beauty is judged by our capital’s Gentlewomen, and there is no guarantee that we will pass their test. Every year, the Gentlewomen of the capital leave the Glittering City to oversee the annual Procession. They travel settlement to settlement selecting girls, aged sixteen and older, to become Beautiful Ones. If chosen, we will be lifted into a life of luxury, but the cost is our free will.

    Includes bonus content: Will's Killer Pizza Recipe and a sneak peak at Cidney Swanson's Saving Mars series.Book One: RipplerWhen Samantha Ruiz turns invisible in front of team mates while rafting, she knows something's wrong. According to her knowledgeable friend Will, she's got a rare genetic disorder. Fearing a lifetime sentence as a lab-rat, Sam wants to keep her ability secret. But she also wants to know if there's a connection between dark Nazi experiments on others like her and her own mother's death eight years earlier. At the same time that Sam is sleuthing, she's falling hard for Will. And soon, she'll have to choose between keeping her secrets hidden and keeping Will safe.Book Two: ChameleonSam's troubles are growing. The crush who kissed her seems to have changed his mind. Her BFF thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. And the evil geneticist who wanted Sam dead now wants her ALIVE. When Sam learns of Helmann's Nazi-like plan to re-establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she's determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter--their best hope for stopping Helmann's brave new world. But someone invisible follows her to Paris, and now Sam must figure out how to hide from an enemy she can't even see.Book Three: UnfurlAgainst all expectations, Sam has survived attacks by two of Helmann's deadliest assassins. She's alive, but she's far from safe. Helmann is planning a second Holocaust and wants Sam to play a starring role. Will, now separated from Sam by an ocean, seeks a way to prevent Helmann's apocalypse. Along with Sir Walter and Mickie, Will plays a deadly game sneaking into Geneses' facilities, discovering unsettling clues as to Helmann's plans. The clock ticks down as Will and Sam discover just how much they must be willing to sacrifice to stop Helmann. UNFURL, the powerful conclusion to The Ripple Series, will leave fans breathless.

    “My…heart?”“He wants you dead, and he will stop at nothing. You have to go.” When she hesitated, the assassin roared, “Go!”*An heiress on the run.A heartbroken Amish man, sleep-walking through life.Can true love's kiss break the spell?After his wife dies and he returns to his Amish community, Dominic feels numb and frozen, like he's under a spell. When he rescues a woman from an exploding car wreck in a snowstorm, he brings her home to his mother and six younger siblings. They care for her while she sleeps for several days, and when she wakes up in a panic, she pretends to have amnesia.But waking up is only the beginning of Snow's story. Snow's real name is Adriana Daniels, and in order to protect herself and her niece from a dangerous relative, she must keep her true identity a secret from Dominic and his family. So, she pretends to have amnesia, hiding out within the Amish community, lying to everyone--especially Dominic.Dominic's sister Damaris is set on convincing him to court her best friend Margaret so he stays with them in the Amish community, but Dominic’s mother sees how Snow has brought light back into Dominic’s eyes once again, and how she makes him laugh. As Adriana and Dominic grow closer, she feels more guilty with each passing day about lying, especially after they took her in when she was a stranger.But time is running out, and Adriana’s niece needs her now more than ever.Can Adriana trust Dominic with her secret, even if it means he’d risk losing everything to help them? Though Dominic pulls Snow from the wreckage, Snow is the one who rescues him. Amish Snow White is a HEA standalone novella in the Amish Fairytale Series.

    She has a bad attitude and she does what she wants and when she wants and does not care who she hurts in the process. She has everything that she could possibly want in life, but she feels like she is missing one thing, the love of her biological father, Tristan “Triple T” Thompson. Briana turns to different men looking for that love and affection that she has never gotten from Trip. Will that missing love and affection cause Briana to turn to a man who does not have her best interest at heart?Shanice Miller and Briana are sisters and they are nothing alike. Shanice has always been in her sister’s shadow and she hates it. Shanice starts to hang out with a different crowd and starts doing things that she knows no one would be proud of. She meets someone who she believes has her best interest at heart and will help her get her life back on track. Will he help her get her life back on track or will he lead her down a path of more destruction.Jaslyn Roberson is the quiet and rational thinker of the group. Jaslyn find herself in an abusive relationship and along with home issues she sometimes doesn’t know which way is up. After an tragic event she seeks solace into the arms of another man. Jaslyn can sense that this new guy is keeping a secret from her, but can’t quite put her finger on it.