Dragonriders of Skala
5 primary works
Book 1
In the flame of battle, even the innocent get burned…
Dyrfinna is a born commander. She bests her peers in dragon riding, sword fighting, and battle strategy. So when the Queen calls the people of Skala to battle to revenge her murdered daughter, Dyrfinna outfits a ship and brings a crew.
Once in the field, Dyrfinna leads her troops to victory in a series of hard-fought battles against overwhelming odds. Yet a commander is raised over her, and because of his clumsy leadership, a great disaster results in the massacre of a quarter of the Queen’s army. Then the commander unfairly blames a second disaster on Dyrfinna. The wrong stroke of her sword could undo everything she’s ever worked for, earn her the fury of her friends ... and exile to certain death.
But you can't keep a true warrior down. When things are darkest, a flame rises out of the desolation.
Book 2
When war and betrayal are a part of life, death consumes like fire.
The Viking world is torn apart by warfare, and there is no rest for the weary. Barely recovered from surviving her exile, Dyrfinna lands in the enemy’s camp. The king has stolen her sister, captured her allies, and turned one of her closest friends against her.
But that’s the least of Dyrfinna’s worries. A greater foe has risen up, a magician who desecrates the bones of dragons to gain power for herself and raise an army of zombie dragons from the dead—an army of unbelievable power. To overcome this new threat, Dyrfinna must steal her crew out of captivity and sail them into their most costly battle yet.
Only one being has the answers they need, but can the Vikings trust the word of a dragon who wants them dead?
Book 2
Five shiploads of Vikings against one.
This isn't her first battle with such steep odds, but this is Dyrfinna's first as commander -- and she doesn't want to see her crew be killed off by a much greater foe before they get a chance to revenge their friend Thora.
But some of these foes are called the Child-Killers, led by the bloody-minded Nauma, who glories in dealing pain and death.
Dyrfinna and her crew manage to escape to an island in order to better defend themselves as their ship goes up in flames behind them.
Here they make their final stand, surrounded by the enemy. If the rest of the Queen's fleet doesn't find them, and soon, Dyrfinna's crew is going to die here. She's doing everything in her power to keep them all alive so she can revenge Thora and bring everybody home -- but on this haunted island, the past keeps coming alive, and the dead will not rest.
Even worse, Dyrfinna discovers that, if her crew dies, these child-killers plan to travel on to Skala to slaughter their loved ones ... including Dyrfinna's mother and little sister, who she swore to protect.
Book 3
The explosive third book in the Dragonriders of Skala series.
The undead roam the world of the Vikings—an unstoppable army led by the vicious Nauma, who rides upon the dragon corpse she raised from the blood of slaughtered soldiers. And Dyrfinna hunts her with the help of her fiery emberdragon, willing to do anything in her power to stop Nauma and send all those old heroes back into the earth where they belong. Dyrfinna must call upon both friend and enemy to join forces with her to stop Nauma from awakening an ancient, stronger power to come to her aid or her magical powers will cause even greater devastation.
Kingdoms and lives hang in the balance. A crown of roses and a crown of fire wait for those who survive this battle.
Book 4
From a whisper of smoke … to an apocalypse of fire.
Skeggi has been raising his brothers ever since their parents died last year. One respite from his never-ending work is the time he spends with his sword-friends, learning to fight and fly dragons. But during battle-practice on dragonback, Skeggi accidentally stumbles upon an invasion force of Danes preparing to attack his city, and all hell breaks loose.
As the city prepares for war, Skeggi and his friends are sent on a mission to bring back the Queen’s daughter. The sword-friends run into the forest on a perilous journey. Not only must they rescue the Queen’s daughter, but they must escape the wrath of the Dane’s commander, Iron Skull, one of the most dangerous men of Viking legend. The sword-friends have found someone that Iron Skull considers more valuable than gold—his thrall girl. And now he is hunting them to get her back.
The sword-friends are going to be hard-pressed to get back to Skala … if they even survive the journey.