Search Worlds Without End

The prelude to the upcoming Legend of the Five Rings series.

This novel introduces new characters and settings based on the events in the Legend of the Five Rings: The Spirit Wars card set. This book also sets up the story for future novels in the upcoming series The Four Winds Saga.

The Clan War is over. The danger is not.

Once the greatest samurai in all Rokugan, Toturi has managed to hold the Empire together despite warring clans and internal treacheries. But nothing has prepared him for the hordes of vile spirits ravaging his beloved realm.

As the Spirit Wars rage, Toturi and his children are the only hope for Rokugan.

The Emperor is Dead.

The Steel Throne, seat of imperial power in Rokugan, sits empty. Ambition wars with justice and deception with truth as the emperor's heirs seek to gain the favor of the Clans. The fate of the Empire walks the edge of a blade, and before all is lost, the Lady of hte Sword must step forward to restore honor to a land in need.

The Steel Throne Sits Empty...

Rokugan stands on the brink of chaos. As his brothers and sister seek the favor of the clans, the illegitimate son Akodo Kaneka forsakes grasping for power and takes up a new quest--defending the helpless and destroying those who ravage the common people. But as his world crumbles about him, he discovers that no son of Toturi can escape his destiny.

Darkness Grows in the Empire...

Naseru, known as "The Anvil," will stop at nothing to sit upon the Throne of Rokugan. When dark forces rise in the City of Night, he must act swiftly. To save his beloved Empire, Naseru must learn to wield the most unlikely weapon of all -- justice.

This concluding title to The Four Winds Saga explores a different character's perspective on the events taking place in the series. The overall storyline is based on the Gold Edition set for the Legend of the Five Rings trading card game released by AEG. The ending of this title will actually be decided by the Legend of the Five Rings readers and fans in a tournament during the Summer of 2003, allowing players to have direct impact on novel content.

Mercedes Lackey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Valdemar series and romantic fantasies like Beauty and the Werewolf and The Fairy Godmother. JAMES MALLORY and Lackey have collaborated on six novels. Now. these New York Times and USA Today bestselling collaborators bring romance to the fore with The House of Four Winds.

The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince's future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.

Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.

Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own--but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won't give him up without a fight.

Full of swashbuckling adventure, buoyant magic, and irrepressible charm, The House of the Four Winds is a lighthearted fantasy romp by a pair of bestselling writers.

Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it's Wren's responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.

For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade's fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.

When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren's sister, Wren will do anything to save her--even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won't go down without a fight...

Brielle of Thornbrook has dedicated her life to the abbey. She spends her days forging iron and her evenings studying the Text, all in preparation of becoming an acolyte. Twenty-one years on this earth and she has never touched a man. And she never will.

But when she finds an injured stranger in the forest, Brielle can't resist the urge to help him. The encounter leads her to the realm of Under, where the air breathes rot, and the fair folk dance and whisper. Where she discovers that the man she helped is actually a god: Zephyrus, the West Wind, Bringer of Spring.

There are few Brielle can trust in Under, least of all Zephyrus. As she embarks on a journey through the eerie banks and caves of Under, Brielle finds herself in a perilous situation. For here is where faith and heart collide - and where she risks not only her future... but her life.