Night's Masque Series

When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods—and a skrayling ambassador—to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital? Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is appointed to the ambassador’s bodyguard, but assassination attempts are the least of his problems. What he learns about the skraylings and their unholy powers could cost England her new ally—and Mal his soul. “Anne Lyle’s Alchemist of Souls teems with intrigue and magic worthy of the Bard himself. An outstanding debut!” —Lynn Flewelling

Exiled from the court of Queen Elizabeth for accusing a powerful nobleman of treason, swordsman-turned-spy Mal Catlyn has been living in France with his young valet Coby Hendricks for the past year. But Mal harbours a darker secret: he and his twin brother share a soul that once belonged to a skrayling, one of the mystical creatures from the New World. When Mal’s dream about a skrayling shipwreck in the Mediterranean proves reality, it sets him on a path to the beautiful but treacherous city of Venice—and a conflict of loyalties that will place him and his friends in greater danger than ever. “The Merchant of Dreams never fails to entertain. Whether you like action, magic, romance or mystery there is something for you here.” —Mazarkis Williams

Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted—his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it—and while his work is far from over, Mal still has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest. With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin.… “No wilting faerie queens and tortured knights here: this is how historical fantasy gets dirty.” —Douglas Hulick, author of Among Thieves