Spirit Gate — Kate Elliott

For generations the immortal Guardians were the unseen protectors of the lands of the Hundred. Eagle reeves, sworn to honor and protect the land, patrolled the skies, keeping peace in the realm. But now a shadow has fallen across the land. A horde of marauders has swept down upon one city after another, leaving death and devastation in its wake. Worst of all, the Guardians seem to have abandoned the land, leaving its people hopeless, defenseless against the fanatical horde, which is led by a mysterious figure cloaked in legend.

And yet, all hope is not lost. Captain Anti and his disciplined troops, drawn into the conflict by the winds of fate, discover the fearsome shadow which has seized the land and so terrified its people. Their destinies are entwined with those of a reeve who has already tasted the bitterness of loss and with merchants and slaves both sacred and profane, all of whom must transcend the paths they thought to tread if they are to see the light beyond the shadow that blights the land. And Anti's beautiful wife, Mai, and her uncle, Shai, have yet another quest: to discover the fate of Shai's brother, lost years before when he left to seek his fortune.

In a fabulous world of teeming humanity, at the crossroads of life and death, begins an extraordinary epic adventure.