Outcast Blade

The critically acclaimed second volume in a gripping fantasy series about ambition, revenge and the rise of a vampire assassin in 15th century Venice As the Byzantine and German emperors plot war, Venice's future lies in the hands of three unwilling individuals:The newly-knighted Sir Tycho, who destroyed the Mamluk navy but cannot make the woman he loves love him back. Tortured by secrets, afraid of the daylight, he sees no reason to save a city he hates. The grieving Lady Giulietta, whose world has fallen apart. All she wants is to mourn her husband in peace. But her fate is tied to Venice, and as both emperors seek her hand in marriage - and the powerful alliance that would offer them - she must choose a new husband and a new enemy.Lastly, a naked, mud-strewn girl who crawls from a pauper's grave on an island in the Venetian lagoon - and kills the men who buried her.Praise for The Fallen Blade'Brings 15th Century Venice to luminous life' SciFi Now'A twisted, Machiavellian, complicated and ornate book about survival and the terrible lengths people will go to for power' Pornokitsch As the Byzantine and German emperors plot war against each other, Venice's future rests in the hands of three unwilling people:The newly knighted Sir Tycho. An ex-slave and trained assassin who defeated the Mamluk navy but cannot make the woman he loves love him back. Tortured by secrets, afraid of the daylight, he sees no reason to save a city he hates.The grieving Lady Giulietta. Impossibly rich, deeply spoilt. A virgin, a mother, a widow . . . Both emperors want her hand for their sons in marriage. All she wants is to retire from the poisonous world of the Venetian court to mourn her husband in peace.And finally a naked, mud-strewn girl who crawls from a pauper's grave on an island in the Venetian lagoon and begins by killing the men who buried her.