Word Count: 75431
Summary: Mwarthes, former assassin of the Eclipse, has earned his freedom but he made a few enemies among his former coworkers. Now that the Master no longer protects him, they’re coming after him with all the fury of hell. Good thing he’s still got his monster in a jar. There’s plenty for Hapi to eat, but as it grows, it also learns. And it’s learning quickly. He might need Ashira’s help after all. The pharaoh has died without naming an heir. Ashira is sent to the capital to ask the deceased king who is next in line, but in a court full of intrigue and conspiracy, deciding on an heir might not be so simple. Beset on all sides by enemies, Ashira needs someone who isn’t trying to use her for their own ends. But the only one she can count on is Mwarthes, who brought a mindless monster she thought was destroyed. But Hapi is still alive. Hapi is hungry. And Hapi has something to say.
Word Count: 86786
Summary: Meet Ashira. She can heal with a touch and command the dead. And she would like her kingdom back. After all, she is the reincarnation of the legendary pharaoh Nephtet-Ka. It’s hers by rights. The prophecy said so after all. But she will find that an empire won’t just hand over power, even if she unleashes an army of reanimated corpses on those who stand in her way. Fleeing an empire that wants her dead, she will have to cross the desert and seek out new allies and counsel from the ancient priest who started the prophecy. Her only ally is Mwarthes, a sly assassin who speaks with serpents and lets his curiosity get the better of him. Will he help her reclaim her crown from the Alvari empire? Or will she end up another corpse in the desert?
