House Of The Hidden Blade

It should have been an easy assignment, but in Jacob Hamilton's world nothing is. The contact, a middle aged man, left under the wheels of a high speed train, with nothing to show but a folder marked FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. To make matters worse, the target, a Russian petty thief known as Andrei Ovinko, has a secret past, a past that Jacob knows only too well, for you see Ovinko moonlights as an assassin. In his mind Jacob knows once contracts have been exchanged there is no going back on the deal, however there is one, small, fly in the ointment, the contract has been forged. The question is why and for what purpose? Bound by his own set of moralistic codes, Jacob knowing he has no choice, begins the hunt in hope, that by finding Ovinko, he will find out who is behind the forgery. Whether by design or by pure luck, he unwittingly stumbles on a hidden message contained within an old captain's desk submerged in an old shipwreck at the bottom of the Bering Sea, it is this clandestine note from the past that has him asking more questions than he has answers for.Torn between his devotion to the brotherhood and his desire to decode the hidden message, Jacob begins to ponder his own role as an assassin, a choice (or rather a decision) that will have consequences. Instead of doing what his asked of him, he does what is needed of him. For once, his life as an assassin in The House Of The Hidden Blade, becomes a paradox of the man history determines him to be.

How far will commitment to his liege take the assassin Louis? The bluron’s wings delivers a stark command of death as the Empire teeters on the edge of a most uncivil war. For the first time in Her long history, a ducal line has failed. The last duke of Etendulat is dead and none of his heirs have undertaken the Trials of Dusang. The wealth of farmlands that lies at the heart of the Blutben peninsula lack a ruler and greedy men circle the bountiful plains. Into this high stakes game, Louis is sent to end the ambitions of Tybalt du Mamel, Baron of Somfaux, who would reach for the Etendulat Sash. With every step, he uncovers more of a treacherous plot that is poised to strike at the heart of the Empire. Forbidden magic shadows him and ultimately he must make a dire decision: Can he take the life of an innocent for the greater good? The Hidden Blade is the first book in an exciting new fantasy series. If you like epic fantasy with strong world building, a plot that stretches from the past to the future, human characters with human flaws and realistic magic, this book is for you. Plunge headlong into the world of Sangwheel Chronicles to learn what happens when the subtle game of politics turns deadly, start reading The Hidden Blade today! What others are saying: "The Hidden Blade is one of those rare gems you find in the Independent Publishing arena. Well written, imaginative, with great characters and a wonderful story." - Maxwell Alexander Drake, creative writing teacher & author. "A rich and sumptuous brooding fantasy treat. Not to be missed." - Caldon Mull, author. "Fantasy can be a tough genre--making both an engrossing world and characters that a reader really cares about is a hard balance that most authors struggle with. Mullany, however, excels at both. The world is vibrant and creative, with a feeling of depth and history that is shown in hints rather than pages on pages of exposition. The characters are human and relatable and, perhaps most importantly, adults." - Kathleen Reedy, Goodreads Review

In the waning days of the last dynasty, in a quiet, beautiful corner of imperial Peking, a young girl's blissful ignorance is shattered when she learns that she is the illegitimate daughter of an English adventurer and a Chinese courtesan. What future is there for such a girl? But a mysterious figure steps forward and offers to instruct her in the highest forms of martial arts--a path to a life of strength and independence. Half a world away in England, a young boy's idyllic summer on the Sussex downs implodes with the firing of a single bullet. Torn from his family, he becomes the hostage of a urbanely sadistic uncle. He dreams of escaping to find his beloved friend--but the friend is in China, ten thousand miles away. The girl trains to be deadly. The boy flees across continents. They do not know it yet, but their lives are already inextricably bound together, and will collide one fateful night when they least expect it. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON meets DOWNTON ABBEY, this remarkable tale of friendship, danger, and coming of age will stay with you long after you have finished the last page. A prequel to MY BEAUTIFUL ENEMY.

In this spellbinding romance by the acclaimed, USA Today bestselling author of The Luckiest Lady in London, a beautiful and cunning woman meets her match in a man just as dangerous and seductive as she is, putting both her heart and her future at risk… Hidden beneath Catherine Blade’s uncommon beauty is a daring that matches any man’s. Although this has taken her far in the world, she still doesn’t have the one thing she craves: the freedom to live life as she chooses. Finally given the chance to earn her independence, who should be standing in her way but the only man she’s ever loved, the only person to ever betray her. Despite the scars Catherine left him, Captain Leighton Atwood has never been able to forget the mysterious girl who once so thoroughly captivated him. When she unexpectedly reappears in his life, he refuses to get close to her. But he cannot deny the yearning she reignites in his heart. Their reunion, however, plunges them into a web of espionage, treachery, and deadly foes. With everything at stake, Leighton and Catherine are forced to work together to find a way out. If they are ever to find safety and happiness, they must first forgive and learn to trust each other again…

“If you loved Nancy Drew but always wished she was an undead sword-wielding badass, Merit is your kind of girl.”—Geek Monthly Times are hard for new vampire Merit. Since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals, and inside Cadogan House, things between Merit and her Master, Ethan Sullivan, are...tense. Worst of all, a violent vampire attack has left three women missing, and the mayor of Chicago has a simple demand for Merit and Ethan: Get your House in order. Or else. Merit needs to get to the bottom of the crime, but, unable to tell who’s on her side, she calls in a dangerous favor from a member of an underground vamp group that may have intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the dark heart of Chicago’s supernatural society—a world ready to fulfill the protesting humans’ worst fears, and a place where she’ll learn that being a vampire means getting a little blood on your hands....

Blackbirds is a dark fantasy tabletop role-playing game, Powered by ZWEIHÄNDER RPG. The gods failed us. The powerful betrayed us. Rise to meet your fate. Twelve years of war have ravaged the kingdoms of Erebos, where the great battle that would decide the fate of all has been waged. . .and lost. Now, the lights of civilization are going out. Swells of refugees have taken to the roads, desperate to find homes far from all the suffering. New constellations twinkle in the vault of the night, only to disappear if scrutinized for too long. Creatures of long-forgotten folklore once again stalk the countryside. It is a time of ill omens and unlikely heroes. BLACKBIRDS RPG is set in a dark fantasy world where a cabal of power-hungry Oligarchs has stolen godhood. Their horrific act rent the fabric of reality, allowing corrupt magic to undermine the world's natural order. And, soon, the Oligarchs themselves will return to the mortal plane and remake it as they desire.

This study examines the history of the Japanese period film and proposes that a powerful relationship exists between the past and present in Japan’s narrative tradition. The first section of the book analyzes the form and function of the Japanese period film, describing the unique iconography and characteristics of films set in the past. The author also examines how the period film has allowed Japanese filmmakers to circumvent government censorship by serving as a rhetorical device with which they can explore contemporary concerns through a criticism of the past. The final section of the book contains chapters that focus on the narrative in Japanese epic, religion, theater, and modern popular literature. A complete filmography and bibliography are included.