A Thousand Roads Series

Azzadul, the god-king, the Lord of Light revered by many. When the darkness corrupted him, he became the Dark Lord, feared the world over. His magic, once a gateway to immortality for his people, delved instead into horrors as he sought ever deeper levels of mastery. Children were stolen from their beds, coveted for his blood-rites. When he vanished, it all ended, and the people of the world tried to forget, to move on... Jak Fuller is an orphan who has wandered from town to town as long as he can remember. He's never tried to find a home. He's only tried to escape the memory of a burning woman, to keep moving. Born ten years after Azzadul's disappearance, rumors of the Dark Lord's horrors have never mattered to him, until he comes to Fort Lasthall... A legendary town on the outskirts of the Dark Lord’s former kingdom, Jak has felt called to it ever since the day he's heard of it. And now that he's arrived, he can't help but notice how easy life has become, as though he's meant to be here in this place before the mountains, where magic and stories of dragons abound, the one place Azzadul's power never could touch... Where blood rites are practiced in secret, and conspirators who have never forgotten the Dark Lord's ways are everywhere, even among those most trusted... And they have been waiting for Jak a long time. Fire & Blood is the first part in the 5-part serial publication of A Thousand Roads.

Azzadul, the god-king, the Lord of Light revered by many. When the darkness corrupted him, he became the Dark Lord, feared the world over. His magic, once a gateway to immortality for his people, delved instead into horrors as he sought ever deeper levels of mastery. Children were stolen from their beds, coveted for his blood-rites. When he vanished, it all ended, and the people of the world tried to forget, to move on... Jak Fuller has been bound to a magic he does not understand. Adopted into the household of a mysterious man, he grew up in Fort Lasthall trusting that somehow it would all work out. He did not expect his home to end up in ruins, nor his would-be father to end up dead, nor to have a bounty on him tied to the heart of Azzadul's former Underworld. Jak will run, how he will run, yet can he outrun the darkness that is now tied to his soul? He will sail far away, lead the life of adventure he once dreamed of, but can he outrun the shadow-man who stands over his bed sometimes when he awakens at night? Once, he wanted to be somebody. Once, he dreamed of the powers of Azzadul and the Dwarf Men of old. Now, he wants more than anything to be nobody, to start life fresh and experience the pleasures of the world denied to him during his former life of devotion. And it just might be too late... Ruin & Escape is the second part in the 5-part serial publication of A Thousand Roads.

Azzadul, the god-king, the Lord of Light revered by many. When the darkness corrupted him, he became the Dark Lord, feared the world over. His magic, once a gateway to immortality for his people, delved instead into horrors as he sought ever deeper levels of mastery. Children were stolen from their beds, coveted for his blood-rites. When he vanished, it all ended, and the people of the world tried to forget, to move on... Jak Fuller, bound to dark magic, is now committed to a path that will lead him into the heart of Azzadul's former Underworld. With a Necromancer as his guide, Jak is eager to learn how to master his magic, and in doing so, overcome the many hurts in his heart. Once, Jak thought his path was to run, but now with his new master he is bound directly for the one who seeks him. For there is a greater plan, one that requires defiance and danger, one that will lead Jak directly to the Dark Lord. One that will awaken a dangerous power, and the only hope for the free world... Master & Boy is the third part in the 5-part serial publication of A Thousand Roads.

Azzadul, the god-king, the Lord of Light revered by many. When the darkness corrupted him, he became the Dark Lord, feared the world over. His magic, once a gateway to immortality for his people, delved instead into horrors as he sought ever deeper levels of mastery. Children were stolen from their beds, coveted for his blood-rites. When he vanished, it all ended, and the people of the world tried to forget, to move on... Jak Fuller has learned to trust the dark magic he grew up with. All his life, he felt its call and though he's feared it, he cannot think of it as evil, not this thing that is bound to him as intimately as a lover. He is ready to take the final steps, to pass into the Underworld itself and become something greater. And he will trust that this is not a mistake, that it is fate. Here in the town called Darkhollow, intrigues gather tight as spider webs. Jak's long-lost sister, Laira, whispers to him of freedom. His master, Din Dellion, admonishes him about the weakness of the heart. Dark choices lie before him, but Jak is not afraid. Darkness is his destiny, and he will embrace its call, as eagerly now as when he was a boy who first listened, and followed... Mountain & Fate is the fourth part in the 5-part serial publication of A Thousand Roads.

Azzadul, the god-king, the Lord of Light revered by many. When the darkness corrupted him, he became the Dark Lord, feared the world over. His magic, once a gateway to immortality for his people, delved instead into horrors as he sought ever deeper levels of mastery. Children were stolen from their beds, coveted for his blood-rites. When he vanished, it all ended, and the people of the world tried to forget, to move on... For Jak Fuller, stories of the Dark Lord always compelled him, even if they also filled him with terror. An orphan who grew up in a cruel world, his disappointments have led him in ever-small steps toward a dark destiny. When he was fourteen winters, he first tasted blood, felt the thrill of it rushing through him, an unnatural heat that burned in his limbs. When he was twenty winters, he fled for his life, a marked man coveted by the one who ruled the Underworld in Azzadul's place. When he was alone and afraid, the Necromancer came to him and taught him of his power. Together, they journeyed into the Underworld, awakening its true master. Side by side, they defeated Talamus the Red. And in doing so, unleashed something terrible... Jak's soul is bound, so deep. There is no way out but forward, and the horrors of each day will only grow worse. Trapped here, beneath the ice, Jak is becoming something else. Jak—or what he was—fights to hold onto himself, as fiercely as he fights the call of blood; that call, so unquenchable. And it knows no bounds... Dark Lord & Soul is the fifth and final part in the 5-part serial publication of A Thousand Roads.