Book 0.5

Aurora

by Beth Ball

Published 15 September 2020

The story of how it all began...

Dorric Themear has experienced the giddy flutterings of new love before. But not like this. Behind the sapphire eyes of Lady Emelyee Amastacia lies a long-awaited destiny that neither of them can sense or stop.

However, forces darker than Emelyee's husband are prepared to stand in their way.

Ridel, one of Lucien's most trusted servants, is less than enthused about her assignment to watch the lovers. If only her master had been visionary enough to see that a child cannot result if the parents are dead. She'll do her best to comply with his orders to watch and to wait—at least for now.

High in the Frostmaw Mountains, Yvayne has seen the signs of a turning of the age before. Perhaps this time, with the proper intervention, she and the druids can make a play for Azuria after all.


Book 0.7

Song of Parting

by Beth Ball

Published 9 February 2021

Among the many truths they hold close to heart, story-weavers know: Across all eras, Love and Loss rest on either side of the turning wheel of fate.

Azurian legends tell such a story, of love found and lost in the early days of the worlds. Katarina Starsend, a story-hunter and scholar, dedicates her life to tracking down these tales and finding their new iterations in the world. She's in luck. A legendary fae has been reborn-and her incarnation is only a day's ride away.

Within the walls of Io Keep, a storm gathers as the callous Duke Amastacia sets his plans in motion. Soon enough, he'll be rid of his stepdaughter, Iellieth Amastacia. Seeing what lies ahead, Teodric Adhemar faces a choice-does he warn Iellieth or allow her to hold tight her illusion of freedom?

And can Iellieth out-plot the duke?

Find out in this prequel novella perfect for current fans and new readers of the Age of Azuria high fantasy series!


Book 1

Buried Heroes

by Beth Ball

Published 12 May 2020

You were right, your father's amulet is magical. Just not in the way you thought. 

The stones echo as Iellieth Amastacia drags her heels through the corridors of Io Keep, bidding farewell to the few inside the castle walls who have offered her moments of happiness. Despite her best efforts, Iellieth can no longer resist the forced marriage her stepfather placed at the end of her path. A final transmigration stands between her and the slammed door.

But destiny--and the amulet--have other plans for the half-elf.

In a flash of light, Iellieth appears amidst the piled snow and howling winds of Torg's Peak. The mountain's bitter heart holds an ancient secret-a warrior, imprisoned long ago. Iellieth alone can awaken him, but in so doing, she will reignite a war for the fate of Azuria.

Across the Infinite Ocean, a pirate queen ravages the coast, searching for an ancient artifact, the key to her ambitions. The sea bids caution to Teodric, her newest captain, lest he fall to the admiral's raging whims as so many have done before.

Further north, a druid conclave battles its patron city for survival. As wielders of natural magic, they have long been the victims of history. Genevieve flees to the depths of the forest, where a long-lost magic blossoms.

Forces awaken across the world of Azuria, ancient enmities stirring that have remained stagnant for thousands of years. In book one of the Age of Azuria, Iellieth, Teodric, and Genevieve must confront the first crashing wave in a rising tide of shadow.


Book 2

Hadvarian Heist

by Beth Ball

Published 8 December 2020

The lives of your friends are bound to your own - can you do what it takes to free them and ensure the survival of your world?

A dark shadow looms over Caldara as Iellieth Amastacia and her companions travel north. Hidden within the elegant marble halls of the Hadvarian Court, an ancient artifact waits to be discovered, but haunting specters of the past guard the prize.

Deep in the Shadowlands, Lucien plots to capture Iellieth and extinguish any resistance to Alessandra before the flame spreads. Across Azuria, foul forces await his bidding, ready to deliver the druid into his hands. Unfortunately for Lucien's pack of werewolves, Briseras Ravisthinia delights in making them her prey. With the help of an over-eager folklorist and a driven, if mysterious, witch, Briseras intends to destroy not only the werewolves, but also the more sinister creature who lurks just beyond her grasp.

On the opposite side of the world, Genevieve Vendanges stalks after the man who bears her conclave's sacred dagger. Aboard the Amber Queen, she has a chance to uncover what he knows about the destruction of her conclave and all she held dear. But the passenger holds secrets for other crew members as well, namely the ship's captain, Teodric Adhemar. What guarded information from Teodric's past might emerge to interrupt his return to the powerful Admiral Syleste?

Even further west, foreboding visions drive Persephonie Arelle to the ancient walls of Andel-ce Hevra. To protect her mother, she must confront hostile guards hunting practitioners of natural magic and subvert the dangerous machinations of Aylin, her mother's partner. But Persephonie does not fight alone. A mischievous fox and handsome captain of the guard stand ready to help her combat the clashing urban forces. Will it be enough?

In book two of the Age of Azuria high fantasy series, Iellieth, Briseras, Teodric, Genevieve, and Persephonie must summon the strength to withstand the pull of the darkness surrounding them, a tide whose time, whose destruction, has finally come.


Book 3

Amber Queen

by Beth Ball

Published 31 August 2021

Power in all its forms will find its way to you, Soul Shepherd. You must be ready when it does.

Danger blossoms beneath Iellieth Amastacia's every step as she searches for the sixth seal piece. With Marcon and Quindythias by her side, the druid sets sail across the Infinite Ocean. Ancient evils lurk beneath the crashing waves, but other forces prove just as treacherous, threatening to drag the druid underwater. Submerged beneath the weight of her choices and the revelation of her soul's true nature, can Iellieth weather the swelling storm?

Eager for vengeance, Briseras Ravisthina hunts the vampire Nassarq across a shadow-cloaked realm. Some enemies are familiar-spirits churn in the whorls of mist around her feet, foolhardy challengers thrust themselves into her path-but surprises lurk in the gathering fog. Allies shoulder their way to stand at Briseras's side, and the ruling vampire lord seeks her audience. Where blood runs as water under the earth, the huntress prepares to claim her destiny.

Fate swirls around Persephonie Arelle like curling smoke, beckoning her and Rennear to escape the city and travel north to the sanctuary of the snowy peaks. But the storied mountain range offers tales more varied, a fortune more complex, than the simple refuge the saudad and her companions seek. Harpies haunt the highlands, and werewolf agents of Andel-ce Hevra roam free. More unpredictable still are those whom fate has bid her to find.

The life of the pirate queen Syleste's trusted informant, Darcy, hangs in the balance as Teodric Adhemar guides his crew across the Infinite Ocean to an ancient island forest. Once there, Genevieve Vendanges can perform the ritual that will save Darcy, the one responsible for the assault against her conclave. However, her ancestors' magic, preserved in the roots of the towering trees, has intentions all its own. Conflicting desires war within Genevieve's heart. And on the island, they are not alone.

In book three of the Age of Azuria epic fantasy series, Iellieth, Briseras, Persephonie, Genevieve, and Teodric confront the true cost of their journeys. But the question remains: Are they prepared to pay? Find out in this action-packed sequel to Buried Heroes and Hadvarian Heist!


Story Magic

by Beth Ball

Published 1 June 2021

Cassandra, the goddess of fate, has often gifted her Chosen with prophetic visions, tellings of what is, was, and could yet be. Each Chosen must chart her own course through these tales, slowly coming to understand the narrative behind her Sight, what is for her to interpret and what is merely for her to See.

The goddess of fate keeps her own counsel. She alone can tell why some, by their innate nature, change the weave of fate, while others simply follow the course of their own thread.

But those of us who chart signs such as these have found a single strand running through the disparate patterns of the fate-weave—above all others, Cassandra chooses storytellers. It is they she favors with the ability to See. And among the saudad, people of story and legend, when one of their own takes the threads of fate into her hands, there is no telling what new narrative she may weave.

Inside these pages, those who seek Sight will find story, and those who seek story, Sight. This is the way it ever has been and ever will be.

Persephonie Arelle is not yet a Chosen of Cassandra, and the story of her becoming so may not ever come to be. However, I think you will agree with me in this—her story is much more than that of one who can See.