The Collars of Phaleran

The life she knew ended in an orgy of violence on a lonely road. She’s so confused she’s ‎not even entirely sure who she is any more, and now, according to prophecy, she’s supposed ‎to save the world. The gods have got to be kidding! Don’t they?‎

Niari has lost absolutely everything. The life she knew, her beloved father, even her ‎liberty; they’re all gone. The only thing that keeps her sane as she tries to work through it all is ‎the friendship she strikes up with another young woman. But when Niari takes Carlitha’s ‎advice and tries to take control of the situation, it all blows up in her face in spectacular ‎fashion. Suddenly she’s supposed to save the world!‎

But how do you save the world when you don’t even know how to save yourself?‎

And the gods are not exactly making things easy: ‎

Carlitha threw her hands in the air. "I just love this," she said to no-one in particular. "We ‎have to go to the Isle. At least we know that much, I suppose. But when we get there we have to ‎find a tomb that no-one's ever been able to find. Then we're supposed to return the eye, but no-‎one knows what the eye is or where we're supposed to put it. And all this so we can find some ‎so-called treasures which are actually weapons, but nobody knows what sort of weapons they ‎are or what they do. And then after all that we have to find a bunch of strangers who are ‎supposed to help us, and then figure out what to do with these treasures so we can fight the ‎Cult with them. Have I left anything out?"‎
‎"No, I think you've just about covered it."‎
‎"Oh good. We wouldn't want it to get complicated, would we?"‎

Together, the two friends set out on a journey full of surprises. Not least of those is ‎Niari’s adoption by a runiac, the legendary ancestor of both the dog and wolf. She discovers ‎that she can speak to him, and he decides to accompany them on their impossible quest. ‎Having a runiac for a guard dog definitely gives a girl an edge, but will it be enough? They’re ‎about to find out, as the prophecy drives them inexorably toward a confrontation they can’t ‎avoid. There simply isn’t a way to escape destiny, and they are destiny’s daughters.‎

The Collars of Phaleran is an epic fantasy adventure in the best tradition of sword and ‎sorcery. Here you’ll find legendary lost magical jewels, animals that can communicate with ‎humans, a quest of the gods, a cartload of magic, and even a dragon, though he may not be ‎quite what you were expecting. Plus, of course, two young women doing their best to be ‎strong and courageous in the face of impossible odds. Why not join them?‎

Although it is the first book in a series, The Collars of Phaleran is a complete story in ‎itself and can be read as a standalone novel.‎