This book is dedicated to the warm, witty, and amazing Beth Kendrick, because we're good enough friends to say,"Isn't it about time you dedicated a book to me?"and "How 'bout that book dedication?"
Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the wonderful short poem "The Witch in the Glass" by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt (1836-1919), which I use within this book, and which inspired the character of Mariketa the Awaited, as well as her unique talents. Glossary of Terms from the Living Book of Lore The Lore "... and those sentient creatures that are not human shall be united in one stratum, coexisting with, yet secret from, man's." The Lykae Clan "A proud, strapping warrior of the Keltoi People (or Hidden People, later known as Celts) was taken in his prime by a maddened wolf. The warrior rose from the dead, now an immortal, with the spirit of the beast latent within him. He displayed the wolf's traits: the need for touch, an intense loyalty to its kind, an animal craving for the delights of the flesh. Sometimes the beast rises... " Also called werewolves, war-wolds. Enemies of the Vampire Horde. The Talisman's Hie "A treacherous and grueling scavenger's hunt for magickal talismans, amulets, and other mystical riches over the entire world." The rules forbid killing - until the final round. Any other trickery or violence is encouraged. Held every two hundred fifty years. Hosted by Riora, the goddess of impossibility. The House of Witches "... immortal possessors of magickal talents, practitioners of good and evil." Mystical mercenaries who sell their spells. Separated into five castes: warrior, healer, enchantress, conjurer, and seeress. Led by Mariketa the Awaited The Valkyrie "When a maiden warrior screams for courage as she dies in battle, W