Laura R Cole

The Eleventh World Saga

BloodRunes Trilogy
Unleashed Fury
Those Who Fear the Darkness
Leoht

The Forgotten Trilogy
Serpent's Lair
Bricrui
Light the Reign

During the time of the Massacre the Dark King reigned, declaring himself a god and securing his leadership with fear and blood-magic. Overthrown in a bloody revolt and the knowledge of the forbidden arts lost in the book burnings of the ensuing chaos, Gelendan has risen above its gruesome history. Now, hundreds of years later, its dark past forgotten, Layna is a simple maid.

But as mysterious events begin to unfold, she comes to realize that nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

She finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of deception, romance, espionage, and secret societies that soon has her life spiraling wildly out of control. Whilst fleeing the fury of her mistress - whose rage is fueled by Layna's budding relationship with the woman's former consort - and attempting to evade detection by the priests who want to control her new-found magical talent, Layna's problems are further compounded when she discovers a strange marking on her neck. A mark that is growing darker by the day. Who or what has marked her, and for what purpose she doesn't know. But it soon becomes apparent that whatever it is, it's after her...

As Layna and Gryffon race to alert Treymayne about the impending danger of King Nathair's use of blood-magic, menacing evidence implies that the Sleeping God, Nuko, is waking. The two of them know that if he is awakened he will spread his dark curse upon the land and the outcome will be disastrous. But when they try to warn the council of these threats, controversy from a surprising foe hinders their efforts.

When shocking news of King Nathair's latest activities suddenly spurs the Treymayian council to heed their advice, it seems they might make some progress, but an attempted murder forces them to shift their focus to more personal issues and Gryffon finds that his allegiance is torn.

As the darkness grows stronger and the tense state of affairs between the two countries intensifies, Gryffon must abandon his efforts to stop the impending conflict to fight for something he values even more than his country...

...Layna's life.

With Nuko woken, a foe from their past out to murder them, and the King on the verge of war, it seems as though the situation can't get any more serious. But as Layna and Gryffon are drawn deeper into the complexities of their dilemma, they can't ignore the fact that it is indeed even more perilous than they thought...and they are inescapably entwined within it.

The Order's far-reaching influence is exposed and Layna and Gryffon are horrified to realize just how involved in the world they really are. And, that they are playing a very dangerous game. So much so that another player must reveal itself, one who is almost too fantastical to be believed but whose intervention has become necessary with the extent of the grave situation. The Order is playing with fire, and soon it could be the whole world that gets burned.

Only by working together can Gryffon, Layna, and Katya stop this evil before it takes hold...otherwise the cleansing fires which created their world may also bring about its destruction...

Layna’s simple life has turned into a fairy tale. From unassuming maid to hopeful Queen, having survived the tumultuous world-saving quest that was thrust upon her...she'd hoped that the birth of her daughter would mark the beginning of her happily ever after.

Fate, however, has other plans. Taking the throne in the wake of the destruction caused by King Nathair’s use of blood-magic turns out to be more treacherous than she imagined. Her innocent nature makes her want to trust in her aides, but in reality, she’s been thrown straight into the heart of the serpent’s lair…

Meanwhile, Katya is still searching for her elusive other half, without whom she is destined to carry a terrible curse: That those she cherishes will suffer. Already she has had to deliver the fatal blow to the man she loved, and she sets off alone to avoid a similar fate for anyone else. Her wanderings lead her to discover the existence of a people calling themselves the Forgotten, and her resolve to avoid getting too close to anyone is tested when she meets a charming tribesman who keeps thwarting her attempts to steer clear…

Continue the Eleventh World Saga in this story of betrayal, kidnappings, monsters, and new magic…in Laura R Cole’s Serpent’s Lair, the beginning of the exciting sequel to the BloodRunes Trilogy.

The celebration of Princess Phoenix’s safe return is tainted by tension.  Other than Hunter’s guess of who the tribe really is, they know next-to-nothing about them, or what the end goal of their actions may have been.  Gelendan can only wait until the next attack comes.  While Layna worries what this next attempt might entail, Katya is blackmailed into retrieving a certain artifact and delivering it to the tribe.  Phoenix’s safety, in fact, all of their safety, could hinge on whether or not they are able to figure out the tribe’s plan before Katya succeeds.

Adding to Layna’s worries is the disturbing creature that her old friend, Charles, brings her.  It appears to have been the result of either a horribly disfiguring disease, or blood-magic.  Though Layna fervently wishes it to be the former, it becomes increasing apparent that it is more sinister than a natural sickness.  It appears to be the result of the treasonous Lord Telvani’s dabbling in the forbidden arts.  Worse, there is every indication that it has something to do with Natalya’s kidnapped sister, Alina.

It is a race against time.  Will Layna and Gryffon discover the tribe’s intentions before Katya hands over the means for their next attack?  Will Natalya find her sister before whatever the mysterious ailment is claims her too?  Find out in Bricrui, the second book in The Forgotten Trilogy.

Layna and Gryffon work tirelessly with the royal mages to find a way to break the terrible curse placed upon them by the Forgotten. The containment dome around the city of Naoham, designed to keep it from spreading to the rest of the country, has bought them some time. The curse won’t immediately affect the people, and the lack of visible symptoms is so far keeping the inhabitants fairly calm. Eventually, however, Layna knows that this will also work against them. The people will become restless at being detained for no obvious reason…and their patience will become their time limit…

Natalya’s newly rescued sister, Alina, may find herself transformed into a blood-thirsty raving beast if they can’t find a way to stop the Bricrui from taking hold in her soon. Though the mysterious plant from the Ferryn Plains seems to be keeping it at bay, circumstances change that makes finding the cure that much more important…

Though Katya has found her other half as the prophecy predicted, her adventures are not yet over. In order to gather information about the tribes for Layna, she must travel to each of the different factions for one last world-saving quest...