The Culling


Roberto Calas - 2012
    He knows there isn’t a man alive who can fulfill the promise of such a word. But when a caravan transporting a noble family is savaged in the haunted forest of Maug Maurai, Grae is ordered to be a hero. And a villain. It's quite a handful for an officer whose last assignment was capturing runaway orchard pigs. Such is the fate of a commoner among the high-born officer corps of the King's army.Until now.Grae is ordered to lead a small squad into the forest to kill the legendary Beast of Maug Maurai. It's a suicide mission, but if he succeeds he will reap glory, a noble title, lands, and, most importantly, respect. All he has to do is slay the most dangerous creature in the kingdom with the squad of misfits and criminals that he’s been assigned. A female archer that Grae presses into service makes things even more difficult. Her kindness and odd philosophies begin to chip away at his deepest conviction.Before he sets out Grae receives one last ugly detail. A secret secondary assignment that makes it clear to him why he was chosen to lead the squad. It’s the first order Grae has ever considered disobeying, an order that will force him to choose between his loyalty and his morality. And he’s certain that the wrong choice will plunge the kingdom into civil war.The Culling is the first of a three-part novel.

In Absentia: A Demon's Apprentice Anthology


Ben Reeder - 2017
    It falls to Chance’s friends to pick up the slack. In Mage Enough, Lucas is confronted with the consequences of helping Chance during an earlier adventure, and must delve into the vampire subculture of New Essex in order to find a missing priest. As he uncovers another, greater threat, he also discovers that he’s capable of far more than he ever thought possible. In Freedom, Shade learns that there is much more to the world behind the Veil than she ever suspected. When Lucas shows up needing her help for a newfound friend, she’s more than willing to assist. But they quickly discover that he’s taken something that the vampires will go to any lengths to get back. In trying to keep those around her safe, she will discover what it truly means to live free, and how far she’ll go to safeguard that right. In Those Who Can, Dr. Corwyn discovers how far the conspiracy Lucas and Shade have uncovered goes, and how much the Conclave doesn’t know. Drafted back into a role he had given up years ago, he must figure out how the Sentinels have changed over the years, and if he can do the job now. As he struggles to find his way in his old/new role, he finds an even bigger conspiracy, and the hint of something familiar.