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An Agony of Flame and the Fury and the Mire
A two-part climax to The Last Vigil, An Agony of Flame and The Fury and the Mire, concludes the story of the fall of Constantinople. Here is an intense evocation, both of the gruelling eight-week siege itself and of the chaotic as well as terrifying aftermath.
In part three, Niccolo and Demetrius serve on the great Roman land walls, enduring bombardment and nocturnal hand-to-hand combat. Nestor-Iskander reappears, a deserter now from the Turkish camp. Niccolo is badly wounded, recovering in Theodora’s house in the suburb of Studion. Then comes the night of the final Ottoman assault when, after a valiant defence, treachery leads to massacre (including the death of Demetrius) and Niccolo finds himself among a scatter of survivors.
Part four centres on Niccolo’s frantic attempts to find a way through a city, now being systematically sacked. Moreover, he must think of others. Demetrius might be dead but Nestor-Iskander has survived and demands refuge. Then there is Theodora locked up with the faithful in Hagia Sophia. Can Niccolo reach her before the marauding enemy? So, he travels deeper and deeper into his adopted city’s heart of darkness. Nestor finds protectors, loses, then regains them. Theodora is found then lost forever. Mehmet appears once more; Cinnamon never reappears. Finally, after the city has been overwhelmed and pacified, Niccolo sets sail westward across the Mediterranean, not home to Venice but to an Atlantic shore where a new age of exploration is about to dawn.
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A Thread of Fate
It is the late 1800s and thoughts of Hell and the Devil are all scary bedtime stories to Josephina. That is until a Son of Hell comes to earth.
In the small village where she lives, Josephina’s life is predictable and mundane. Desperate for adventure and excitement, she turns to unconventional hobbies that feed her soul. When a handsome duke arrives in town, Josephina becomes the envy of all the other girls. However, their courtship takes a dark turn, and Josephina will stop at nothing to escape.
As she seeks refuge with Zephyr, a mysterious and alluring figure from a dangerous world, Josephina finds herself torn between her familiar life with her family and the allure of the underworld. With Zephyr’s undeniable charm and the revelation that not everyone wants her there, Josephina must weigh all of her options and determine the fate that will ultimately shape her future.