The Wine of Dreams — Brian Craig

THE SWORD FLEW from Reinmar's hand and he just I had time to think, as he was taken off his feet, that when he landed - flat on his back - he would be wide open to attack by a plunging dagger or flashing teeth. As the beastman leapt, Sigurd's arm lashed out in a great horizontal arc, the palm of his hand held flat. As it impacted with the beastman's neck Reinmar heard the snap that broke the creature's spine.

As soon as that, it was over. But it was not a victory. Now there was no possible room for doubt that there were monsters abroad in the hills.

DEEP WITHIN the shadowy foothills of the Grey Mountains, a dark and deadly plot is uncovered by an innocent young merchant. A mysterious stranger leads young Reinmar Weiland to stumble upon the secrets of a sinister underworld hidden beneath the very feet of the unsuspecting Empire - and learn of a legendary elixir, the mysterious and forbidden Wine of Dreams.