Kings and Daemons by Marcus Lee

SPFBO7

‘What the gods give with one hand, they take away with the other, for if you are gifted, you shall also be cursed.’ ----- In the Ember Kingdom, a dying land riven by famine and disease, Daleth the evil Witch-King plots his conquest of the neighbouring Freestates. Gifted with eternal youth, his vampiric power is responsible for the decay that afflicts his realm, and now other kingdoms must fall to quench his never-ending thirst for life. However, on the cusp of the invasion, Maya, a peasant huntress, is arrested, Daleth’s soldiers kill an old farmer’s wife, and a young outcast is reluctantly enlisted into the Witch-King’s army. Three seemingly innocuous events that nonetheless have the potential to alter the destiny of generations to come. For Maya is gifted with the ability to heal and can influence the hearts and minds of men if she but finds the strength to do so. The young recruit carries a gift of reading thoughts and has no love for the king he serves. As for the vengeful farmer … he’s an ancient warrior gifted in reaping souls who now seeks to fulfil a long-forgotten oath against unbeatable odds. The world will soon be soaked by the blood of war, but with these three individuals’ lives inescapably entwined, the faint light of hope begins to shine. Alliances will have to be forged, enemies convinced to become friends, and a flicker of love given a chance to become a flame for there to be a chance to fight the encroaching darkness of the Witch-King's evil. ----- The Gifted and the Cursed. A dark fantasy trilogy set in a dystopian land, with heroes that are at times more demonic than the evil they face. The bloody battles, quests for revenge and fights for survival are artfully balanced with a light romance, tales of redemption, and the breath-taking beauty of Maya’s gift.

The Mountain of Souls by Marcus Lee

SPFBO9

If your life hung by a thread, how far would you go, and what lines would you cross, simply to survive? When Malina is sold at auction, her darkest nightmares become reality when she's delivered to the Mountain of Souls and into the grasp of a mysterious sect. Thrust into a ruthless selection process where failure means death … determination, instinct, and fragile alliances help her survive, but at the terrible cost of a conscience stained by the blood of the fallen. Yet with each hard-fought victory, Malina gains a glimpse of something extraordinary beyond the merciless persecution ... a reason to not only pursue perfection in her training but embrace the perilous life of The Chosen. For it’s revealed that the Chosen are pivotal to the safe return of The Once and Future King … a legendary figure destined to usher in the golden age of humankind. Together, Malina and the other Chosen must be prepared to sacrifice anything, even their very souls, to overcome the malevolent forces that stand in the way of his ascension. The Chosen. A thrilling and intricately spun Epic Fantasy that weaves a relentless fight for survival into a tapestry full of conquest, deception, magic, and an ancient prophecy that will determine the fate of humanity.