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The Serpent Sea
by Martha WellsMoon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he's found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree - a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.In this followup to The Cloud Roads, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions - and the adventure of a lifetime.
The Serpent Society (Marvel Avengers)
by Pat ShandWhen the Avengers assemble to defeat a horrible monster that appears in the skies over Brooklyn, they quickly learn that the creature was seemingly drawn there by a young woman with the ability to open portals to other realms. The mysterious woman escapes, but Tony Stark and the team track her down, only to find she is one of a team of unknown, super-powered individuals . . . who are decidedly not interested in answering the Avengers' questions. As the battle rages, it becomes clear these young villains are not the ones controlling their powers; but if they are not the villains, then who is? Earth's Mightiest Heroes soon discover that the puppet masters are the newly reorganized Serpent Society, headed by Black Mamba. The Society are using this new team to bring down all who stand in the way of their most nefarious plot to date, and if the Avengers can't protect their own and defeat this new threat, the Serpent Society will reign victorious. Avengers: The Serpent Society, written by veteran comic book and fantasy writer Pat Shand, will take the iconic team of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye on a heart-pounding adventure to protect not just the Earth but the very fabric of reality.
The Serpent & The Dead: A Marvel: Legends of Asgard Novel (Marvel Legends of Asgard)
by Anna StephensAn extraordinary duo of Asgardian Heroines battle across the Ten Realms, in this epic fantasy adventure set in Marvel&’s Legends of AsgardIn the midst of a bloody conflict, Lady Sif, the valiant Asgardian warrior, watches her close friend die in glorious battle – but her soul is not taken to the eternal halls of Valhalla. Furious and petrified that the afterlife for her and all Asgardians is in peril, she enlists the aid of Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, the fearsome warrior entrusted with conveying worthy souls to the heroes&’ afterlife. Together they scour Asgard for answers. Rumors abound of towns being attacked by a horde of soldiers who cannot be killed. Someone is building an immortal army and stealing Asgardian souls… A worthy challenge for two of Asgard&’s mightiest champions!
Serpentine: Anita Blake 26 (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #26)
by Laurell K. HamiltonVampire hunter Anita Blake has managed to overcome everything she faces. But this time there's a monster that even she doesn't know how to fight... <P><P>A remote Florida island is the perfect wedding destination for the upcoming nuptials of Anita's fellow U.S. Marshal and best friend Edward. For Anita, the vacation is a welcome break, as it's the first trip she gets to take with just were leopards Micah and Nathaniel. But it's not all fun and games and bachelor parties... <P><P>In this tropical paradise Micah discovers a horrific new form of lycanthropy, one that has afflicted a single family for generations. Believed to be the result of an ancient Greek curse, it turns human bodies into a mass of snakes. When long-simmering resentment leads to a big blowout within the wedding party, the last thing Anita needs is more drama. <P><P>But it finds her anyway when women start disappearing from the hotel, and worse--her own friends and lovers are considered the prime suspects. There's a strange power afoot that Anita has never confronted before, a force that's rendering those around her helpless in its thrall. <P><P>Unable to face it on her own, Anita is willing to accept help from even the deadliest places. Help that she will most certainly regret--if she survives at all, that is... <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
Serpentine: Anita Blake 26 (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Novels #26)
by Laurell K. HamiltonAnita Blake, Vampire Hunter, returns to face an ancient, Medusa-like curse in her twenty-sixth adventure. Fans of Charlaine Harris and Anne Rice will delight in this series by Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. 'I've never read a writer with a more fertile imagination' Diana Gabaldon My name is Anita Blake, U.S. marshal and vampire hunter. But this time, there's a monster that even I don't know how to fight . . . A remote Florida island is the perfect destination for my best friend Edward's wedding, and a much-needed getaway for me and wereleopards Micah and Nathaniel. But it's not all fun, games and bachelor parties. Micah has unearthed a horrific new form of lycanthropy down here - a Medusa-like curse that turns its victims into a mass of snakes. The last thing I need is more drama, but when women start disappearing in this tropical paradise, my own friends and lovers become the prime suspects. I can't fight this one alone and am ready to accept help from even the deadliest of places - help I know I will regret. If I survive at all. Readers love the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series: 'Anita Blake novels are my addiction''Fantastic! Unexpected! Intriguing! Full of love, relationships, action and adventure''Vampires, zombies and guns, oh my!''I couldn't love Anita and her adventures with the supernatural community any more'
Serpents Among the Ruins: The Lost Era 2311 (Cold Equations #2)
by David R. George IIITHE YEAR IS 2311 It is a year of infamy, a year that later generations will remember as one that altered the course of history at the cost of thousands of lives. It is the year of the Tomed Incident, and its tale can at last be told. In the midst of escalating political tensions among the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Federation, Starfleet goes forward with the inaugural flight of Universe, a prototype starship that promises to revolutionize space exploration. But the Universe experiment results in disaster, ravaging a region of space dangerously close to the Romulan Star Empire, apparently confirming suspicions that the Federation has begun testing a weapon of mass destruction. As the military buildup accelerates on both sides of the Neutral Zone, Captain John Harriman of the Federation flagship U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B is fated for a final confrontation with his oldest enemy at a flashpoint in history -- with the Beta Quadrant one wrong move from the outbreak of total war.
A Serpent's Bond
by Misha PaigeA former foster kid, Hudson always had a simple dream for a perfect life. A husband to love and a family he could come home to every night. It wasn’t a fancy wish, but it might as well have been. Still single and approaching forty, not to mention fighting a battle of the bulge, Hudson knows it probably isn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime. Especially with Drakein Nacash, the drop dead gorgeous man who is the subject of his nightly fantasies and barely even knows he exists.But what if Hudson is wrong about that?Then he’s introduced to a living myth and offered everything he’s dreamed of, and his life is turned upside down. Can he can accept truth that now stands before him? More importantly, can he find the strength to hold onto it?
The Serpent's Curse (The Last Magician #3)
by Lisa MaxwellLeigh Bardugo&’s Six of Crows meets Alexandra Bracken&’s Passenger in this spellbinding third book in the &“vivid and compelling&” (BCCB), New York Times bestselling Last Magician series.Evade the Serpent.Heed the Curse.Rewrite the Present.Esta isn&’t a stranger to high-stakes heists. She&’s a seasoned thief who has no reservations about using her affinity for time to give her an edge, and she&’s trained her whole life for one mission: travel back to 1902 New York, steal the ancient Book of Mysteries, and use its power to destroy the Brink and free the Mageus from the Order&’s control.But the Book held a danger that no one anticipated—Seshat, an angry goddess was trapped within its pages. Now that terrible power lives within Harte, and if given the chance, Seshat will use Esta to destroy the world and take her revenge.Only Esta and Harte stand in her way.Yet in their search to recover the elemental stones needed to bind Seshat&’s power, Esta and Harte have found themselves stranded in time with a continent between them. As Esta fights to get back to Harte, the Order is no longer the only obstacle standing in her way.Saving Harte—and magic itself—will put even Esta&’s skills to the test. And all the while, another danger grows, one more terrible than both Seshat and the Order combined...
Serpent’s Egg
by R. A. LaffertyIt was the End of Summer of the year 2035. The Global Village that was the World was ruled by a Kangaroo Court of Compassionate Aldermen who ordered assassinations when it was deemed to be for the common good. As a sign of their openness, they were always experimenting to find new ways of looking at the World. Most of these experiments would would fail; some of them would succeed to an extent; and others would succeed only too well, and so would have to be crushed in the shell for the good of the World.The Lynn-Randal Experiment raised three children together almost from infancy. Of these three, Lord Randal was human (though somewhat enhanced and tampered with). Axel belonged to the gargoyle-faced 'Golden People' ('God believes they are the most beautiful creatures he ever made,' a theologian said, 'and there will be hell to pay when he founds out that we don't agree.'). And the third child was Inneal who often elicited the comment 'she's really something different, isn't she!' Yes, she was. All of these were super-mega-persons, which meant that they might be able to change the world itself. But why did they begin to change the Ocean first?When these three were just short of ten years old, they were merged with children of three other experiments, and formed with them a Magic Dozen. Immediately they began to have an astonishing effect on the World. And the fave of the children themselves hung in the balance.Was the experiment too successful? Was their effect on the World too dangerous? Would their group be, as other groups had been, adjudged to be a 'Serpent's Egg' that had to be crushed in the shell for the good of the world?The Three Days of Summerset, the End of Summer, would give the answer.
The Serpent's Egg
by Caroline Stevermer&“A rousing tale of courtly intrigues and chivalrous honor&” from the author of The Glass Magician (Charles de Lint, award-winning writer). Just as hard-fought peace has come to the land of Staunton, war hero Sir Anthony Folville lies dead—but not due to his battle wounds. He has been poisoned by the medic treating him, a man supposedly paid by Queen Andred&’s heir to perform this dastardly act. Now, with the prince imprisoned and accused of murder, his allies join forces to prove his innocence, including the fiancée of Sir Anthony and the royal scholar Chrysafer. They have reason to suspect the Duke of Tilbury is behind the plot—and that the queen is his next target. As spies listen in the shadows and swords clash, there is one weapon that will sway events in the traitorous duke&’s favor: a legendary serpent&’s egg with clairvoyant powers. And only Chrysafer is able to sense its magic—and stop the carnage to come . . . &“To know this book is to love it passionately. I want to live in it. I want to exchange banter with witty ne&’er do wells, be boon companion to noble-hearted yet practical ladies, aid a nerdy librarian with her magic, and incidentally save the kingdom. Here is true magic.&” —Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award–winning author &“I really enjoyed reading The Serpent&’s Egg, and delighted in the unusual characterizations and plot.&” —Anne McCaffrey, New York Times–bestselling author of the Dragonriders of Pern series &“Sparkling characters, humor, and lots of action . . . A very talented writer!&” —R.A. MacAvoy, John W. Campbell Award–winning author of Lens of the World
The Serpent's Fury: Royal Guide to Monster Slaying, Book 3 (A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying #3)
by Kelley ArmstrongRowan faces her most dangerous monster-slaying challenge yet, confronting what could be the most infamous monster of all, in the third book in this fantastical series by New York Times bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.Rowan is Tamarel's Royal Monster Hunter, and her twin brother, Rhydd, will be its king. After the events of The Gryphon's Lair, Rowan, along with her friends, her brother and an entourage of monstrous companions, makes her way back to the Dunnian Woods to deal with the pack of dropbears the group trapped in an abandoned cabin after a vicious attack. The dropbears are just one of a number of rare monster species acting erratically in Tamarel. After a swarm of colocolos nearly tramples the group, Rowan becomes convinced that someone (or something) is driving these monsters out of their natural habitats. But nothing can prepare the Royal Monster Hunter for the truth of the matter: monsters even bigger and deadlier than gryphons have returned to the world, and their nest-building, as well as the actions of the humans trying to drive them out, has upset the balance of nature in Tamarel. Do Rowan's "monster magnet" skills work against the most fearsome monsters imaginable? Find out in this exciting third book in the Royal Guide to Monster Slaying series!
Serpent's Gift (Starbridge #4)
by A. C. Crispin Deborah A. MarshallThings are hectic at Starbridge with a new telepathic student, an archaeological dig, and a chemical reaction.
The Serpent's Head: A Science Fiction Western Adventure
by Bryan YoungA hired gun delivers frontier justice on a colony world. The man called Twelve is a hired gun, taking his laser pistol from planet to planet, hiring his services out to the highest bidder. He finds himself on Glycon-Prime, a new colony at the edge of space. On the hunt for work, Twelve blows into a small, frontier town—only to find a massacre. The only survivors? A trio of young children, devastated by the murder of their families. They are hellbent on hiring the gunslinger to get revenge on the leader of the vicious mutants responsible...the man known only as The Serpent&’s Head.
Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes (British Library Crime Classics #0)
by Edited by Martin EdwardsMystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder'The lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.... Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and none the wiser.' —Sherlock HolmesMany of the greatest British crime writers have explored the possibilities of crime in the countryside in lively and ingenious short stories. Serpents in Eden celebrates the rural British mystery by bringing together an eclectic mix of crime stories written over half a century. From a tale of poison-pen letters tearing apart a village community to a macabre mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, the stories collected here reveal the dark truths hidden in an assortment of rural paradises.Among the writers included here are such major figures as G. K. Chesterton and Margery Allingham, along with a host of lesser-known discoveries whose best stories are among the unsung riches of the golden age of British crime fiction between the two world wars.
Serpent's Kiss
by Alex ArcherSome say they are a cursed people. But those who try to find them will be just as unlucky. . . Working on a dig on the southern coast of India, the last thing Annja Creed expects is to be hit by a tsunami. Or to strike archaeological gold. But that's exactly what happens when several objects wash ashore in the storm. The relics carry unfamiliar markings that hint at a legendary city. Excited by the prospect of discovering a culture believed lost to civilization, Annja embarks on a perilous journey deep into the heart of danger. She learns of a mysterious artifact that could provide clues to the whereabouts of the lost city, which means trekking through an inhospitable jungle and forbidding terrain. But nature's denizens and death traps are not the only threats: someone else is also pursuing the prize. Just as Annja's grail comes into view, she must ward off an even greater evil. Because deep in the Nilgiris mountains is a race of people that the world forgot. And they don't like strangers.
Serpent's Kiss: Number 2 in series (Witches of the East #2)
by Melissa de Cruz*The second book in the series that inspired the major Netflix TV drama Witches of East End* 'Smart, stylish and just a bit wicked' Deborah Harkness, bestselling author of A Discovery of WitchesEverything ought to be perfect in the magical Long Island town of North Hampton now that Freya Beauchamp's twin brother, Freddie, is back. But their mother, Joanna, has always favoured son Freddie, and his assertion-that Freya's fiancé Killian Gardiner (Baldur) was the one who set up his downfall-threatens to fracture the delicate family dynamics as the Beauchamps are forced to take sides against each other. Freddie spends his days either on the couch sleeping, or sleeping around. When their father Norman helps him find a job on a fishing vessel, Freddie's uncontrollable magic causes mayhem aboard the ship and lands him in even more hot water. Level-headed sister Ingrid attempts to maintain the peace between the warring twins, but she has problems of her own: her human boyfriend, detective Matt Noble, becomes entangled in a complicated investigation, and when the magical creatures at the heart of it come to Ingrid for help, she has to choose between helping her kind and staying loyal to her love. Freya and Killian plan their wedding only to discover an ancient rivalry that could keep them apart for ever. Things come to a head when the culprit behind Freddie's imprisonment is finally revealed, but it may be too late to staunch the poison that's been released in the family and the town.
Serpent's Kiss: Number 3 in series (Elder Races #3)
by Thea HarrisonIn order to save his friend's life, Wyr sentinel Rune Ainissesthai made a bargain with Vampyre Queen Carling - without knowing what she would ask from him in return. But when Rune attempts to make good on his debt, he finds a woman on the edge.Recently, Carling's Power has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee in fear. Despite the danger, Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen and decides to help her find a cure for the serpent's kiss - the vampyric disease that's killing her.With their desire for each other escalating just as quickly as Carling's instability spirals out of control, the sentinel and the queen will have to rely on each other if they have any hope of surviving the serpent's kiss.
Serpent's Kiss: A Witches of East End Novel (Witches of East End #2)
by Melissa de la CruzThe intriguing Beauchamp family, introduced in the "New York Times" bestselling "Witches of East End," returns in "Serpents Kiss," with dizzying plot twists and spellbinding magic. Joanna and her daughters, bookish Ingrid and wild-child Freya, are just settling into the newfound peace that has been cast over their small, off-the map town of North Hampton. With the centuries-old restriction against practicing magic lifted, casting spells, mixing potions, and curing troubled souls has never felt so good for the three witches. That is, until everything gets turned upside down--from Joannas organized kitchen to Ingrids previously nonexistent love life to Freyas once unshakeable faith in her sexy soul mate, Killian Gardiner. When Freyas twin brother, Freddie, suddenly returns, escaped from Limbo and professing innocence on a long-ago crime, Freya should be ecstatic. The golden boy can do no wrong. Or can he? Freddie blames no other than her fiance Killian for his downfall, and enlists Freyas help to prove it. Now Freya doesnt know who to believe or trust. And for the first time in--well, forever, really--Ingrid is also busy in love. Matt Noble, the handsome and charming police detective, has won her heart. But can romance work between a virgin witch and a mortal who doesnt believe in magic? Things get even more complicated when it appears Ingrid is harboring the prime suspects in Matts police investigation. To add to the chaos, a dead spirit is attempting to make contact with Joanna--but does it mean to bring harm or help? Joanna asks her sort-of ex-husband Norman to help figure it out, only to accidentally invite him to a Thanksgiving dinner with a dapper gentleman shes recently begun dating. As the witches pull together to discover the serpent within their midst and the culprit behind Freddies imprisonment, everything is thrown into peril. Will the discovery come too late to save those they love most? Melissa de la Cruz weaves all this and more in a blockbuster sequel that is not to be missed by her fans, and one that is sure to enchant new readers of the series. Praise for the "Witches of East End" series: "Move over, zombies, vampires, and werewolves, and make way for witches ? a juicy new franchise. "--"Entertainment Weekly" "A bubbling cauldron of mystery and romance. "--"People" "A magical and romantic page-turner. "--"Washington Post" " De la Cruz] lets her repressed sorceresses rip. "--"New York Times" "This tale of powerful women ? mixes mystery, a battle of good versus evil and a dash of Norse mythology into a page-turning parable of inner strength. "--Self " I]ntrigue, mystery, and plenty of romance. "--MTV. com "Casts a spell. "--"Los Angeles Times" "Fans of the "New York Times" bestselling YA author ("Blue Bloods" series) will be delighted with the next entry in her new adult series (after "Witches of East End"). A compelling tale of powerful magic, romance, betrayal, and suspense. " --Jennifer Anderson, Texas A&M University Library
Serpent's Kiss
by Thea HarrisonRecently, Vampire Queen Carling's power has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee. Wyr sentinel Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen and decides to help find a cure for the serpent's kiss-the vampyric disease that's killing her. With their desire for each other escalating they will have to rely on each other if they have any hope of surviving the serpent's kiss...
Serpent's Kiss (Elder Races #3)
by Thea HarrisonIn the latest novel of the Elder Races, a Queen on the brink of sanity has no one to rely on except the Wyr warrior whose conviction is every bit as strong as his passion ... In order to save his friend's life, Wyr sentinel Rune Ainissesthai made a bargain with Vampyre Queen Carling--without knowing what she would ask from him in return. But when Rune attempts to make good on his debt, he finds a woman on the edge. Recently, Carling's Power has become erratic, forcing her followers to flee in fear. Despite the danger, Rune is drawn to the ailing Queen and decides to help her find a cure for the serpent's kiss--the Vampyric disease that's killing her. With their desire for each other escalating just as quickly as Carling's instability spirals out of control, the sentinel and the Queen will have to rely on each other if they have any hope of surviving the serpent's kiss ...
The Serpent's Nest: Young Captain Nemo (Young Captain Nemo #3)
by Jason HendersonIn Jason Henderson's The Serpent's Nest, the third and final installment of the action-packed middle grade series Young Captain Nemo, a twelve-year-old descendant of Jules Verne’s famous antihero must face down giant sea serpents and solve a centuries old mystery, armed only with his wits, his friends, and his Nemotech submarine.Gabriel Nemo has never been your normal, everyday twelve-year-old. As a descendant of the famous Captain Nemo, he’s determined to use his Nemotech legacy for good. He and his best friends, Peter and Misty, spend their days studying at the elite Nemo Institute and their spare time trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the original Captain Nemo and his crew. An engraved anchor pin from the abandoned Nautilus leads the trio to Cardiff Bay in Wales, where they find signs of mysterious underwater rescues. But before long, their search is interrupted when they cross paths with a new kind of sea serpent. Can Gabriel and his friends solve the mystery of the Serpent's Nest before things turn deadly?
The Serpents of Eden
by Rw GoldsmithClay Middleton has made a career as a wilderness artist with his paintings of the American southwest. His remote desert journeys have also earned him the reputation of a deranged man who is best avoided. The reputation suits him, however, as other than for his immediate family, he prefers the company of cacti, coyotes, and sidewinders to the company of man. His idyllic life comes to an end when his wife dies, and his daughter abandons her son to his care. He believes things cannot get worse. He is wrong. His grandson is kidnapped by three supernatural beings, and Clay alone possesses the means to rescue the boy. But to do so, he must endure the incessant chatter of a young paranormal investigator as they pursue the kidnappers across alternate post-apocalyptic Earths in a race against the countdown to universal destruction. ,
Serpent's Reach
by C. J. CherryhFrom the book jacket: Majat memory stretched back across the ages, to a time long before the Hives became known as Blue, Green, Red and Gold, to accommodate human beings' limited perceptions. The majat had killed the first men to visit their world, but they learned a great deal from that initial contact -knowledge that was passed down as needed through each succeeding generation of Workers, Drones, Warriors and Queens. In time a Pact was made... a trade agreement that put the sector of space known as Serpent's Reach off limits to all but a few men, and gave one Family sole control of commerce. That Family was the Kontrin, a clan whose genes had been altered to give its members centuries -long lives, and memories. The Meth-maren were Hive Friends to the Blue majat, and so enjoyed a special place within the Family. Yet other Houses coveted the Meth-marens' holdings, never quite understanding their relationship with the majat, but willing to exploit it. Raen a Sul Meth-maren was very young when the machinations of her distant kin erupted into a bloodbath. It was only chance that spared Raen's life that day, and the pain of her wounds was nothing compared to the fury in her soul. Heartsick, close to death, she sought out the only possible allies she had left on that world, not even sure that they would help her. But the Blue Hive accepted her, healed her-and in return, she introduced an entirely new concept into the Hive mind. Revenge. Years passed and Raen bided her time. She traveled among the inner worlds of the Reach, exercising her Kontrin privileges and powers as her whims dictated. There were Betas for her to talk to-a secondary human race, originally bred and subtly programmed by the early Kontrin settlers. And there were Azi -clones created by the Betas to perform specific duties until their bodies automatically malfunctioned at age 40. Neither group was fit company for the last of the Meth-marens, yet Raen endured them, looking ahead to the future. Then, on a voyage to the outermost planet of the Reach, Raen encountered Betas with an intriguing tale to tell, an Azi unlike any other, and a Blue Warrior who remembered her contribution to the the Mind. And she knew her time had come ...
The Serpent's Secret: The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala And The Kingdom Beyond #1)
by Sayantani DasGuptaMEET KIRANMALA: INTERDIMENSIONAL DEMON SLAYER <P><P> (Only she doesn't know it yet.) <P><P> On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey . . . until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories-like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world. <P><P> To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they've come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kiran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld and the Rakkhoshi Queen in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it . . .
The Serpent's Shadow (Elemental Masters #1)
by Mercedes LackeyMaya Witherspoon had lived most of the first twenty-five years of her life in her native India. As the daughter of a prominent British physician and a Brahmin woman of the highest caste, she had known only luxury. Trained by her father in the medical arts since she was old enough to read, she graduated from the University of Delhi as a Doctor of Medicine by the age of twenty-two. Welcomed into her father's lucrative practice, she treated many of the wives and daughters of the British military personnel who made up a large percentage of their patients in the colonial India of 1909.<P> But the science of medicine was not Maya's only heritage. For Maya's aristocratic mother Surya, had not just defied her family, friends and religion to marry Maya's father, she had turned her back on her family's powerful magical traditions as well. For her mother was a sorceress--a former priestess of the mystical magics fueled by the powerful and fearsome pantheon of Indian gods.<P> Though Maya felt the stirring of magic in her blood, her mother had repeatedly refused to train her. "I cannot," she had said, her eyes dark with distress, whenever Maya asked. "Yours is the magic of your father's blood, not mine...." Surya had never had the chance to explain this enigmatic statement to her daughter, before cholera claimed her life. Yet Maya suspected that something far more sinister than the virulent disease had overcome her powerful mother.<P> But it was Maya's father's death shortly thereafter which confirmed her darkest suspicions. For her father was killed by the bite of a krait, a tiny venomous snake, and in the last hours of her mother's life, in the seeming delirium of her fever, Surya had repeatedly warned Maya to beware "the serpent's shadow." With the sudden loss of her father, Maya knew she must flee the land of her birth or face the same fate as her parents.<P> In self-imposed exile in London, Maya surrounded herself with every protection possible. All the magic Maya knew had been learned by covertly observing her mother, and by cobbling this knowledge together with the street-magic gleaned from a few genuine fakirs. Her workings were a mixture of instinct, extrapolation, and trial-and-error. Crude, but somewhat effective, her spells let Maya hide her household behind a wall of secrecy in a poorer section of the city. Here, in a small but adequate house she lived with only the most loyal of her mother's servants, and her mother's seven unusual "pets"--if you could use such a word for creatures who seemed far more like friends. For Charan, the little monkey, Rajah, the peacock, Mala, the falcon, Sia and Singhe, the mongooses, Rhadi, the parrot, and Nisha, the owl seemed far too sentient to be ordinary animals. Maya knew that these seven unusual and loving companions had been in some way special to her mother, but their secrets were hidden to her, perhaps forever.<P> In her new home she fought the dual prejudices against her sex and her race to continue in her medical profession. Only her high scholastic abilities and her extreme determination enabled her to meet with any success. She managed to place herself in a minor position at a prestigious hospital while she pursued her own medical passions: helping the poor at a tiny clinic where they welcomed any doctor, and setting up a small, controversial practice which specialized in "female complaints" and offered "absolute discretion."<P> But Maya knew that she could not hide forever from the vindictive power which had murdered her parents. She knew in her heart that even a vast ocean couldn't protect her from "the serpent's shadow" which had so terrified her mother. Her only hope was to find a way to master her own magic: the magic of her father's blood. But who...