The Paladins
4 primary works
Book 1
"The humans are weak. Their skin is soft, and their minds dull from years of safety. We are the vicious. We are the destroyers. Come the full moon, when our goddess watches our victory, we will taste of their blood!"
Wolf-men, savage creatures given humanoid form in an ancient war, mass along the Gihon River. Led by their packleader Redclaw, they seek to cross the river and claim a land of their own, slaughtering those that would stand in their way. Two paladins, Jerico of the god Ashhur, and Darius of the god Karak, must helm the desperate defense against the invasion. Their friendship will be tested as their gods resume an unending war, and their very faiths call for the death of the other. Together, friend or foe, they must face Redclaw's horde.
Can faith remain when the gods call for blood?
Book 2
"I have suffered every day since, cast off, abandoned, tortured ... and I find it all for nothing. You worship a lie. Too long I accepted you, treated you as an equal. But you’re not. You’re nothing, and at last I see it ... friend."
Stripped of his power, and branded a renegade by his Order, Darius seeks a way to prove his god is not the bloodthirsty deity his fellows have created. Meanwhile Jerico takes refuge with a band of rebels as Dark Paladins scour Dezrel seeking to claim his life, and the lives of all who would help him. As the silent war rages, their faith is tested, and one will succumb to the promises of a prophet who has lived for centuries...
Innocents suffer when holy men make war.
Book 3
"Imagine knowing something, knowing it so well that it's burned deep into your gut. You’d question your own name before you questioned this. And then...one day...the whole world changes, and you know nothing."
Having fled the defeat at the Green Gulch, Darius and Jerico, believing themselves the last two paladins of their kind, must separate once more in order to survive. While Jerico rushes to the aid of Lord Arthur and the siege at his Castle of Caves, Darius travels east, determined to remove the bounty on his head. But on his way, he encounters a young priest following an older way of faith, whose desire for their return will risk destruction upon all the North.
Sacrifice must be made in blood.
Book 4
“Trust, lies, truth, and sanity no longer matter when you deal with a fanatic. Don’t pretend to understand Valessa. Don’t think you know why she does what she does. She’s not just unfinished; she’s a broken thing, and it’s the broken pieces that are most likely to cut when you touch them.”
The war in the north is coming to an end, but more and more it seems neither brother, Arthur or Sebastian, will end as the true victor. The priest Luther rallies an army of Karak, his aims unclear. Further north, Cyric continues to proclaim himself a god, and his followers are many. Caught between two enemies, Darius and Jerico must stand together to prevent the destruction of everything they hold dear.
And the key to their victory might be someone sworn to kill them both.
Even the strongest can break before a furious god.