The Guardian's Speaker Series

Some call it gift. Others, curse. For Líf, her ability to see each person's guardian spirit had always been a double-edged sword. She hated drawing attention to herself, especially by those who thought her mad, and yearned for a quiet life. Her greatest fear was that her siblings might not return from the summer raids. Being at sea terrified her—the surging waves, the rolling motion of a longship, the murky depths below—and yet her society flourished from the wealth brought from war and water. Líf trusted the gods. She understood all choices were preordained. Her fate was sealed, one that linked her to the animal spirits she so loved. Then a man with flesh of a different color upended her life and her world. He brought with him the warning of an invisible plague that would destroy their race and claimed that he was the only person who could prevent it, for like Líf, he also had an unexplainable gift. The problem was that he was a slave. And he was not hers to free…

Men could not survive outside their world. Líf believed this. Her family believed this as well. So, what they had done was just short of impossible. They had left Midgard's shores only to arrive in Jötunheim, the realm of giants that gave this land its name. Gods be with them. After freeing the slave, Brasir, Líf and her family were outlawed. The only way to regain the good graces of their people was to prove that the warning Brasir brought was true. All humanity was in peril, and only he, because of his unique and innate gift, could prevent it. Yet, he was not the only one born with a special ability. Líf could see and communicate with each person's animal-shaped guardian spirit. Líf's trust in this stranger's word had begun this dangerous journey. But would she be alive when it ended?

Líf's world was on fire. Literally. Since birth, she could see each person's guardian spirit. Whether gifted or cursed, Líf was viewed as an outsider, an oddity, and perhaps even mad. She had thought that she was the only one with such an unexplainable ability until she met Brasir, a slave unlike any ever captured during the summer raids. He warned that a plague was destroying their race and swore that he could stop it because he was able to see what others could not. When Líf freed Brasir, who had been claimed by a powerful jarl, her family was forced to flee the only home they had ever known. As flames consumed their longhouse, Líf, Brasir, and her kin sailed away on their dragon-headed ship. Her siblings placed their trust in Líf and did not look back. Still, Líf asked herself, did Brasir's words hold the truth or were they simply ash layered upon scorched earth?

Another realm reached. Another enemy to overcome… Líf and her family have traversed Jötunheim, the realm of giants, and survived. Yet many men in the disgruntled Viking band were not as fortunate. Worse, their inglorious deaths have forfeited them the chance to enter Valhalla. And those that remain are sullen and quick to anger. Their quest to save humanity is based upon one man's warning. An outsider. An escaped slave. And one who shares a gift similar to Líf's. But Líf is growing weary. Loyalty to her family and its undertaking has waned. Her sister's status has been discredited. Her brother's authority is in jeopardy. Her own safety is in question. Nonetheless, affection blossoms. Líf clings to a glimmer of hope and a glimpse of an unexpected future. But this new world harbors its own threats. A hunt has begun. Are they the prey?

A bounty was on her head. Líf had been unable to stop the sentence of full outlawry that was now imposed upon her and her entire family. They escaped their enemy's grasp only by sailing away once again, although this time, it was to the very outskirts of Midgard, the world of man. They were compelled to continue their quest no matter what the cost. Líf had set free the slave, Brasir, forcing his owners to give chase and threaten their very lives. Misfortune had clung to her since birth, for she had the ability to see and speak with everyone's animal-shaped guardian spirits—an attribute that drew more skepticism than belief. Yet Brasir claimed he shared a similar gift—one which currently steered their longship further north to speak with the seeress whom they prayed had answers.

Can a single discovery defeat despair? An endless winter has buried the nine worlds in snow. Mutinous members of the dying village have abandoned their mission and stolen the last of the dwindling supplies. The few people that remain are left to freeze or starve in the merciless weather. They should have never left Midgard. In desperation, Líf's family and friends venture into the bitter cold seeking any source of nourishment, any form of sustenance. But their prayers are unanswered; the gods remain silent. The truth confronting them is the rapid approach of their own demise. That is, until Líf stumbles upon something extraordinary—hope.

When pushed to the breaking point, humans can become monsters… Banished from their homeland, attacked by beings beyond the world of man, mourning the loss of companions and loved ones, the dwindling crew must now confront the wrath of nature. Summer never came. Spring and autumn are mere memories. Winter continues to ravish the nine realms, and an endless season of bitter cold has trapped them in a land far from Midgard. Líf and those she loves are starving. Their quest to save humanity may yet cost them their lives. Where are the gods? Why have they not answered her prayers? As a blizzard screams around the travelers, burying them in a tomb of snow, a new threat arises. A gnawing doubt takes hold: Have they failed?

Threats come in many forms. Sometimes, they are unforeseen… Ever since Líf freed the slave, her life has been in peril. Now, an unknown world awaits the young woman and her family. Other realms have harbored vile creatures, vengeful giants, and vicious elves who have baited, tracked, and pursued the small band of survivors like animals for slaughter. Many on this wretched odyssey have been killed, others wounded; all are exhausted. Have the gods forsaken them? Is this journey worth the unceasing dangers that they have faced and those yet to come? It must be so. Failure would dishonor the Lothbranson name forever, but that would pale against the demise of all humankind. Líf continues to persevere. She refuses to give up. Whatever horrors this world might reveal, she will face them alongside her siblings. The Norns be with them…  

To seek answers, more blood must spill. Three years have passed since Líf's family and friends left Midgard, the world of mankind, and journeyed through realms filled with danger and despair. Many have been lost along the way. Yet the survivors still cling to the hope that their mission will succeed, for failure will doom all humanity. Now that the bitter winter that held them captive has abated, a tentative alliance has been formed between man and elf. Together, they venture to far off lands whose native races lie in wait to destroy them. Fate controls all. Where will Líf's destiny take her?

A subterranean realm. Creatures of the dark. Traps that lay in wait. Líf and the small band of survivors have fled the surface world and entered a vast realm of labyrinthine tunnels and darkened corridors. There is no time to mourn their losses. To gain the object they seek, they must complete a formidable task set by the dwarven king. Their safety is far from guaranteed. With the odds against them, the dwarves offer little assistance, and the fate of humanity rests on the weary shoulders of a handful of humans and a few begrudging elves. Now an alternative route must be found through blackened caverns and dead cities where those that hunt them lurk in the gloom. Yet in absolute darkness, they are completely blind.

For Líf, her ability to see each person's guardian spirit had always been a double-edged sword. She hated drawing attention to herself, especially by those who thought her mad, and yearned for a quiet life. That is until another upended her world. This man brought with him the warning of an invisible plague that would destroy their race and claimed that he was the only person who could prevent it, for like Líf, he also had an unexplainable gift. The problem was that he was a slave. And he was not hers to free… Set against the rich and brutal backdrop of Nordic myth, The Guardian's Speaker Volumes 1 – 4 are the first part of an adult novella series which serves as a dark odyssey through the nine realms that exist around Yggdrasil, the world tree. The people are as harsh and cold as the climate that has shaped them. Those who wish to survive must fight for that right or strive to die honorably in that attempt.

Beyond the realm of mankind, can humanity survive? Líf never anticipated the effect her actions would have, actions that forever changed her life and the lives of her family. She and those she loves have been forced to flee Midgard, the world of mankind, and must seek answers elsewhere. Now they face relentless trials not only from an unforgiving environment but also from the monstrous beings who dwell in the realms beyond their shores. Many lives have already been lost. Countless more will soon join Hel in her kingdom of the dead if the journey Líf has set upon is unsuccessful… Set against the rich and brutal backdrop of Nordic myth, The Guardian's Speaker Volumes 5 – 8 are the second part of an adult novella series which serves as a dark odyssey through the nine realms that exist around Yggdrasil, the world tree. The people are as harsh and cold as the climate that has shaped them. Those who wish to survive must fight for that right or strive to die honorably in that attempt.