Lanterna Rally

Author: Bruce Rogers

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-27

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 9781515252399

Forged in the Great Basin, a desert land where it never rains, but into which the waters of neighboring lands all drain, Istolibba has arisen on the backs of its slaves. Enslaved by these same neighbors since ancient times, its people have only recently turned the tables. Set against the backdrop of a magic looking pond that can be used to spy on distant lands, witches who embody the elements they command, fanatical soldiers outfitted in the bone armor of the huge, ant-like creatures that rule Istolibba's deserts, cruel war priests who cast spells using their tattoos showing various means of being tortured and slain, foreign armies bolstered by human-animal hybrids and a clandestine organization backed by native deities who want to overthrow the current regime, The Chimera is a quick-moving tale about complex individuals driven by forces beyond their control, the divine included.Death priestess pinching Xanpol's nostrils shut and clamping her hand over his mouth while making love, the Ghost plunges him into a coma. Soul led to a reanimated corpse in a foreign land, the Chimera shapeshifts it into a trusted underling and murders the leader of one of the armies preparing to invade the Basin and put their people back into chains. Arena champion healed in the Coven by a supernatural parasite that is still inside him, it enables Solo Om to absorb minor powers while impregnating Istolibba's witches, which he is supposedly destined to do. Having failed to escape and also prophesied to lead a slave revolt in the capital, the Golden Scorpion's next bout will surely be a fixed one.Solo's quick-witted pal Boswin was sold to the Sunken Palace prior to his last bout. Freed and working as a vizier for the Prefect, its sorcerer administrator, Boswin plans to end Istolibba's slavery through peaceful policy changes instead of violent upheaval. After sparring with Solo one last time in his job as the Arena's chief trainer, the Chimera and his Ghost lover continue with their campaign of assassinating enemy leaders waiting for the anarchy of a revolt. Stepping onto the sand before his adoring public, the Golden Scorpion faces a conjured monster the size of a building. But faithful parasite having borrowed supernatural powers from his witch lovers, he has a few tricks up his sleeves.