Description: For six years, former temple assassin Aral Kingslayer has been living as a jack of the shadow trades, picking up odd jobs on the wrong side of the law. But the past is never dead, and Aral's has finally caught up to him in the beautiful, dangerous form of Jax Seldansbane--a fellow Blade and Aral's onetime fiancEe. Jax claims that the forces that destroyed everything Aral once held dear are on the move again, and she needs his help to stop them. But Aral has a new life now, with a fresh identity and new responsibilities. And while he isn't keen on letting the past back in, the former assassin soon finds himself involved in a war that will leave him with no way out and no idea who to trust...
Brief description: Kelly McCullough is the author of several works of science fiction and fantasy, including the WebMage series. His short fiction has appeared in the publications Weird Tales, Absolute Magnitude, and Cosmic SF. An illustrated collection of Kelly's short science fiction, The Chronicles of the Wandering Star, is part of InterActions in Physical Science, an NSF funded middle school science curriculum. He lives in Wisconsin.