{"product_id":"a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-isbn-9780425255070","title":"A Heart of Blood and Ashes","description":"\u003cb\u003eA generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003eBest Fiction Book of the Century\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…\"Dark, brutal, bloody--and incredibly compelling, with brilliant worldbuilding and a romance that gripped my emotions. Milla Vane has created something extraordinary in this story of kings and war, gods and vengeance.\"—Nalini Singh, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An engrossing, epic story of warriors, gods, leaders and lovers...The characters walk through the pages with heart, soul and courage, and are matched by Vane’s equally stellar world building, which weaves seamlessly with thrilling action scenes.\"—BookPage (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] richly imagined dark fantasy world.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This stalemate between vengeance and love permeates their every interaction, which Vane fearlessly explores through masterful plotting and characterization. Imaginative worldbuilding and compelling political intrigue add depth and complexity to their passionate and wildly romantic love affair. A showstopper.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eA Heart of Blood and Ashes\u003c\/i\u003e is an engrossing tale of barbarity and treachery, of devotion and loyalty, and ultimately of love. Milla Vane knocks it out of the park with the savagely delightful \u003ci\u003eA Heart of Blood and Ashes. \u003c\/i\u003eNow I find myself desperate to get my hands on the next book in the series.\"—Fresh Fiction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Worldbuilding with depth and complexity, wonderfully fleshed out characters, and packed with brutal fight scenes and heart rending emotion…\u003ci\u003eA Heart of Blood and Ashes\u003c\/i\u003e is epic fantasy romance at its finest.”—Smexy Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book is a lusciously brutal foray into romantic fantasy, with a love story that burns so hot, you might singe your fingers while reading it… With \u003ci\u003eA Heart of Blood and Ashes\u003c\/i\u003e, Milla Vane has crowned herself as the new queen of the genre.”—The Alliterates\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A gorgeous imaginative book which is brimming with amazing details and colour…It is harsh, unrelenting, dark, and violent, with a lush romance at its heart.”—The Book Pushers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dark, brutal, bloody-with splendid worldbuilding, one is taken from the stressful, mundane reality into a world that will have you not stopping until the last page.”—I Smell Sheep\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Vivid action scenes pair with harrowing emotional vulnerability to launch a new, addictive series.”—Amazon Book ReviewUnder a pen name, \u003cb\u003eMilla Vane\u003c\/b\u003e is also an award-winning and \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of steampunk and paranormal romance. Milla currently resides in Oregon.\u003cp\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCommander!\" A young Syssian soldier called out as Maddek rode toward the bridge. \"Something's got the savages on the run!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer polished helm gleaming beneath the early-morning sun, the soldier pointed across the river. Maddek slowed his mare, gaze scanning the opposite bank. This was a grim stretch of the Lave. On either side of the swift-flowing waters, sparse grasses grew on stony ground that buckled and heaved into hills and ravines. The Farians' hunting party was camped in one of those gullies, hidden from Maddek's sight-though he knew well its location and had posted soldiers along the riverbanks, eyes covering every route out of the ravine that the savages might take when they finally attempted to cross.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCovered in the mud they painted over their translucent skin, now Farians scrambled their way out of the ravine using all of those routes-but not in concerted attack. Instead they were as gutworms wriggling free of infested dung tossed on a fire. Some carried spears and spiked clubs, but most had no weapons, as if they'd been surprised in camp and chose to run rather than arm themselves. Faintly Maddek heard their urgent hoots over the rush of the river.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A trap jaw?\" Maddek asked Kelir as the warrior rode up alongside him. If one of those giant predatory reptiles attacked the alliance army camp, Maddek would not have reprimanded any soldier for fleeing there, too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis second captain cocked his head, dark braids brushing his shoulders. \"Too quiet.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo it was. A trap jaw was silent until it rushed its prey. Then it often loosed a trumpeting roar-one that would have reached them even over the sound of the river.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA handful of savages scuttled nearer to the bridge, as if preparing to escape across the water, though this side of the river was no safer for them. Two dozen of Maddek's mounted Parsathean warriors and a handful of soldiers waited to separate the Farians' hairless heads from their hunched shoulders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn nearly eight years of holding the Farians at the Lave, Maddek had seen savages run toward death many times. Never had he witnessed a Farian flee from anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"There it is!\" a soldier cried out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComing up the stony path out of the ravine. A siva beast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek exchanged a look with Kelir as the soldiers snorted with laughter. Though as heavy as a yellow tusker and as tall as a mammoth, a siva beast was docile as a milk cow. Usually it waddled along, a plated dome of armor over its humped back and protecting the sides of its belly, using hardened beak and curved claws to rip open rotten logs and dig up roots.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet there were few roots and logs here. The jungle where the siva beast must have wandered from was three days' ride downstream.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA hard, bloody journey for the siva. Gaping wounds on its leathery neck and legs showed signs of attack. Gore dripped from its beak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs did green foam. Maddek tensed. \"It is poisoned.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKelir had seen the same. \"Silac venom.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStung by one of the two-armed serpents that swam the Lave. The Farians had been right to flee. That venom first weakened the serpent's prey so it could be dragged from the riverbanks and drowned. Most animals stung by the serpent didn't escape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd those that did, didn't truly escape. They only staggered away, until the weakness put them to sleep-and they woke as if brainless, unfeeling of pain and killing everything that moved. Eventually they starved or died of wounds. But the siva's armor protected it from an easy kill, particularly from the Farians' primitive spears and clubs, so the best chance of survival was to stay out of its sight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe savages weren't out of sight yet. If the siva made noise, Maddek couldn't hear it from this distance. Silently it charged, tearing open a savage with curved claws as long as daggers. Its strong beak crushed another Farian's leg as the savage tried to run away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek heard those screams. He also heard a young Gogean soldier nearby, his face bloodbare as he watched the beast attack the Farians.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"So we . . . let the siva kill the savages for us?\" He looked to his companions hesitantly, as if uncertain whether to be glad the beast tore their enemy apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough that question hadn't been directed at Maddek, he answered it. \"Then wait for it to attack our camp? It does not care if we are Farian or human. It will kill us all,\" he said. \"There are enemies, and there are monsters. Always slay the monsters first, because enemies may one day become allies-but monsters never will.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the Gogean soldier would have looked upon Maddek as an enemy only a generation past. Perhaps even thought him a monster.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eColor stained the young soldier's cheeks as if realizing the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek drew his sword. \"Kelir?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe warrior hefted his axe. \"Ready.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo the soldiers, Maddek said, \"Hold the bridge while we are across.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe took a dozen Parsathean riders with him. Their hooves thundered across the stone bridge. Immediately the siva found new focus, growling wetly as it charged Maddek and his warriors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHad Maddek known he would be facing a beast maddened by silac venom, he'd not have ridden his favorite mare to the river this morn. Yet there was reason she was his favorite. Though tall and muscular as all Parsathean steeds were, she was also nimble as an antelope. With the barest signal from Maddek, she dodged the siva's swiping claw. As soon as they were past the beast, the siva's attention shifted to Kelir and the warriors behind him. Maddek's mare swiftly pivoted and sprang forward with a powerful thrust of her hindquarters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe siva's soft belly was too low to the ground to offer a real target-any warrior low enough and close enough to cut it open might be crushed when the beast fell dead. Yet Maddek had seen that every time the beast struck with its foaming beak, first it reared back its head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSword in hand, Maddek launched from his saddle. The siva's neck muscles bunched as it prepared to snap at Kelir. A grunt tore from Maddek's chest as he swung at the beast's exposed throat, laying it open with one powerful slice of sharpened steel. Blood jetted from the fatal gash. Narrowly Maddek avoided a blow from flailing claws, rolling out of the way across the hardened ground and coming to a quick stop in a crouch-face to face with a Farian that hid from the beast behind a nearby boulder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMuscles coiled, bloodied sword in his hand, Maddek made no move. The Farian held a bone blade in its long-fingered grip, yet the savage also remained motionless, near enough that Maddek could feel the hissing breath that issued from between its pointed teeth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMud covered its pale face. The savage's large ears shifted subtly-no doubt tracking his warriors' movements by their sound. All had fallen quiet behind Maddek. Waiting for his signal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA signal would not come. He'd given an order that as long as the savages remained on this side of the river, the alliance soldiers and Parsathean warriors were not to kill them except in defense of their own lives. Maddek cared not if the Farians overran the territory south of the Lave, from the Bone Fields to the Salt Sea. He would leave them in peace. Yet if they crossed the Lave, they would die.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany did die. But this one hadn't lifted its blade toward Maddek, so it would not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSlowly Maddek backed away, gaze never leaving the crouching savage. His mare nickered softly behind him. Eyes still on the Farian, he swung up into his saddle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKelir laughed at him as they rode toward the bridge. \"Now you wait for that savage to attack our camp?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoking at him with the same words Maddek had said to the young soldier. Maddek grinned, for despite Kelir's teasing, he knew that the warrior would have made the same choice. Perhaps the savage would cross the river with intention of raping and killing every human it encountered. But Maddek would not kill even a Farian for what it had not yet done.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf the savage crossed the river, however-then Maddek would tear its head from its shoulders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis attention was caught by the mounted figure watching them from the opposite end of the bridge. Enox, his first captain-who ought to have been at camp, sleeping in her furs after a night spent along the river.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSilver beads glinted in her dark braids as she cast him a dour look. \"A thousand warriors you have at your command. Could you have not sent them to kill that beast instead of taking it upon your own head?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNever would Maddek send warriors into a battle he was not also willing to fight. Nor would Enox. If Maddek had not been upon the Lave this morning, it would have been she who led that charge and felled the maddened siva. \"Warriors accompanied me across the bridge,\" he pointed out. \"It is no fault of mine if my mount was fleeter than theirs.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer snort echoed Kelir's. Yet she had not come to reprimand him, Maddek knew.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing his mare alongside hers, he asked, \"What brings you?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Dagoneh has arrived with a company of Tolehi soldiers,\" she said, reining her horse back toward camp. \"And a message for you from the alliance council.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek frowned and urged his mare to keep pace. \"What message?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"He would not give it to me, but is waiting to speak with you.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnease slithered through his gut. Not many years ago, he'd delivered a message from the alliance council, too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek had assumed command at the Lave eight years past. In the six years following, not once had Maddek journeyed home to the Burning Plains, until his parents had requested from the council a three-year leave, so that they might find him a bride and see him married. In his absence, Iova of Rugus had assumed command of the alliance army. Before even three seasons had passed, however, the alliance council bade Maddek to return to the river with a message for Iova-the Rugusian king was dead-and to resume command while that realm's affairs were sorted. Iova was to have returned when all was settled. Yet despite the passing of a winter, she had not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow the alliance council sent another message, and Dagoneh would not tell Enox what it was? That could not bode well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet Kelir's mind had taken a happier route. \"Perhaps they have finally found you a bride.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis parents. Though Maddek had returned to the Lave, a bride for him they'd still intended to find-one who might strengthen ties between Parsathe and the five realms that made up the alliance. A royal daughter, or a noblewoman.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVery likely a woman like Iova, who was not only a fine soldier but also aunt to the dead Rugusian king. If Iova had been younger, or if she'd had a daughter, Maddek suspected that he would already be married.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor all that it would be a marriage designed to strengthen the alliance, however, never would his parents choose a bride unsuited to him. Though finding a warrior among the noble houses might prove too difficult a task, no doubt she would be honest, never lying or speaking with sly tongue, for she would become Maddek's closest advisor. If from Toleh, then she would be educated by the monks, with a mind both clever and fair. And as befitted a woman who might one day be a Parsathean queen-and if she wished to gain his mother's approval-she would be tall and strong and a skilled rider, and possess a heart that burned with fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuch a woman Maddek would be eager to meet-and take to his bed. For he'd been celibate after assuming command at the Lave eight years past, mindful of his parents' warning that when the High Commander of the Army of the Great Alliance asked someone to share his furs, there was not much difference between an invitation and an order. And during his short return to the Burning Plains, he'd taken no lovers. Not when his parents were already seeking a bride. Touching anyone else seemed a betrayal of the vows Maddek would make to that woman, and it mattered not that he hadn't yet met her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fine thing it would be, to finally fuck something softer than his fist.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo it was with anticipation that he rode into camp, where Parsathean tents made of mammoth hides and tusks housed the alliance army. Dagoneh had brought with him a hundred soldiers . . . as if expecting Maddek to leave with a large number of Parsatheans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Maddek would, if there was to be a wedding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet there was to be no wedding. He entered the commander's tent with Kelir and Enox at his sides, and one glance at the Tolehi man's face told Maddek that he was not to receive news about a bride.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDagoneh still wore his armor, yet had removed his helm, revealing his shaven head. Uncertainly he looked to Enox and Kelir before returning his solemn gaze to Maddek's. \"Perhaps we might speak privately, Commander?\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs if fists had clenched around his lungs, Maddek told him tightly, \"There is nothing you can say that they cannot hear.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet what Dagoneh did say, Maddek seemed not to hear. Not through the roaring in his ears.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet Enox must have also heard what Maddek could not accept. Fiercely she advanced on the captain, as if the sheer threat of her approach might force him to retrieve what he'd said and shove it back into his mouth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"That cannot be truth,\" Enox spat. \"It cannot.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It is.\" Grave and steady was Dagoneh's reply. \"Ran Ashev and Ran Marek have returned to Mother Temra's embrace.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRan Ashev and Ran Marek. The Parsatheans called them their queen and king.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek called them Mother and Father.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll fierceness leaving her, Enox fell to her knees on a keening wail. With her fists she pounded the ground as if she might reshape the world, as Mother Temra had. As if she might shake her queen and king free of that goddess's eternal grip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA harsh sobbing breath came from beside Maddek before Kelir threw back his head. The warrior's howl of grief sounded as if torn from a bloodied throat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaddek's own howl swelled in his chest, yet it seemed there was no release for it, the grief too deep, a cavernous hollow that had suddenly opened within him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"How?\" So empty was his voice, he knew not how Dagoneh heard it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet the captain must have. With grim regret, the other man shook his head. \"I have no answers for you. My message and orders from the council were so bare, I suspect they were sent to Toleh in great haste.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Berkley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299924562149,"sku":"NP9780425255070","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780425255070.jpg?v=1767720522","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-isbn-9780425255070","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}