SummaryBound once by guilt to the Seer Dionysos for refusing to
save his mother from being sacrificed to the king of the
Dead, bound twice by hatred for her father, who intends to
reduce her to a near-mindless automatum, bound thrice by
love to Kabeiros, who is trapped in the form of a blind,
black dog outside of the Caves of the Dead, Hekate has
little choice but to master sorcery. If she cannot free
herself of her bindings, she will die. But will her ability
to wield magic so anger the gods of Olympus that they will
cast her out? A TERRIFIED DAUGHTER
Hekate helplessly watches her mother being drained of
spirit and magical talent until she is nothing, a cipher
who does not seem even to recognize her daughter.
Fortunately Asterie taught Hekate all she knew about
creating spells before she is rendered null. Both mother
and daughter know that Perses, Hekate's father and
Asterie's husband, is evil to the core, but neither of them
alone or even together can match his power. Hekate conceals
her skill and her own power and trades obedience for safety-
-but it is not enough. Soon she must flee, with her
father's demon on her heels. Can Hekate grow strong enough
to save herself and avenge her mother?
THE EVIL MAGICIAN
Perses's power in sorcery is unrivaled, but that is not
enough to satisfy him. The next step is to rule one realm,
then another, and another, to gain access to enormous
wealth and an unending stream of victims whose painful
deaths will supply him with life force. Then blood magic
will make him strong enough to transfer his mind and spirit
to a new young body—and live forever. Thus he summons
Hekate and tells her she must murder the Queen of Byblos
and marry the King. Then through her, Perses will control
the King and through him the entire city of Byblos.
THE BLACK DOG
In the Caves of the Dead Kabeiros can live as a man, free
of the curse that turns him into a blind, black dog in the
outer world. But living alone in the dark caves year after
endless year drives Kabeiros to offer shelter to the old
crone who calls herself Hekate and says her father is
pursuing her with sorcerous evil. Kabeiros does not believe
so ancient a woman could have a living father who was
threatening her, but he will ignore her lies for the sake
of companionship. He does not realize he has called truth a
lie and that the lie he sees when stripped away to the
truth will be more dangerous to him than the sorceries of
Perses.
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