The Hunter and the Marked — John Beachem

The Storms of Vengeance are upon you. The end is here. The last words of a dead man haunt the people of Terne, driving some to despair while others convince themselves nothing is amiss and cling to an increasingly desperate dream of peace. Captain Toren, nursing injuries both physical and emotional, buries himself in his work, delving deeper into the assassination of Relex Unara, and the mystery of who is behind the unfolding events. As the countdown to the day of reckoning continues, his search leads him and those he holds dear deeper and deeper into a web of deceit and betrayal more dangerous than he can imagine. Far to the north, unknown to those in Terne, a far different series of events is unfolding. Separated from their homes by the waters of the Karees River, Calton Relanas and his friends are devastated and nearly broken by the losses they have suffered and hardships they have faced. Still, they remain convinced they may be the only ones standing between their homeland and total destruction. Turning to the north, they brave the horrors of the jungle and its monstrous inhabitants in the hope that it holds the key to their kingdom's salvation. Calton and his friends battle their way through lands more perilous than any battlefield, fighting both the dangers of the jungle and their own growing suspicions and misgivings about one another. As if the jungle itself were not enough, something or someone stalks them from the shadows of the trees. It watches their every move and studies their every choice; but is it someone hunting the same distant mark, ready to aid them in their quest; or is it someone who has an entirely different target in mind -- one much, much closer at hand.