Description

Evil elves were dangerous enough—but now Eric Banyon must also face psychic vampires!

Eric Banyon, also known as Bedlam’s Bard, managed to rescue his young brother Magnus from what seemed to be a killer demon (in Mad Maudlin), but now he must rescue Magnus again, this time from their tyrannical parents.

Eric does not look forward to the battle, but is confident he can gain custody. His financial sources are virtually unlimited, his friend Ria Llewellyn heads the most high-powered law firm in New York, and in a pinch he and his friends can use magic powers, even flummoxing a DNA test, if it comes to that.

What Eric does not know is that his parents are allied with the evangelist Billy Fairchild, who himself is a tool of the evil Unseleighe elves, who feed off human sorrow and suffering. Fairchild specializes in getting "bad" children to shape up, which is accomplished by letting a soulsucker—a malevolent creature from the elf world—drain the victim of all talent, creativity, and will, leaving an obedient zombie husk behind.

If Magnus and his friend Ace, who is also on the run from her twisted parents, fall into Fairchild’s hands, they will join the Unseleighe’s zombie ranks. And Eric's bardic magic may not be enough to save them.

About the Authors

Mercedes Lackey, author of the bestselling Heralds of Valdemar and Bardic Voices series, began life as a child and has been attempting to rectify that error ever since. Named for actress Mercedes McCambridge, she has been trying with no success to get the Benz automobile authorities to recognize the natural link between her name and theirs, and offer her the use of an M100 or some variety of high-end sports car for gratis. This, too, has had a distinct lack of success. Other than writing she can be found at various times prying the talons of the birds of prey she is attempting to nurse back to health out of her hands, endangering her vision by creating various forms of Art Beadwork, and cross-stitching dragons, gryphons, and other semi-mythological fauna. At the moment, her hair is red, her favorite color is green, and she is covered by various members of her flock of pet parrots, cockatoos, and macaws, all of which are trying to help her type8shgala1-akejbejks9ife.

Rosemary Edghill, after holding the usual array of Weird Writer Jobs, including freelance graphic designer and vampire killer, settled down to a career as a full-time writer. In addition to her recent fantasy novel for Baen, Warslayer, she has written novels in the Twelve Treasures series, urban fantasies about elves and subways, as well as books in genres ranging from romance to mystery. She has also collaborated with such masters of fantasy as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton. Her web page can be found at http://www.sff.net/people/eluki

Extended Copyright Information

Copyright 2005 by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

Originally published by Baen Books.

Illustration by Jeff Easley.
Cover design by Jennie Faries.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

To Brenda Schonhaut and "Molly"
PROLOGUE:
Another day, another stupid office. Devon Mesier was a veteran of offices, of waiting rooms. They all had the same happy-happy magazines, the advertisement flyers for this or that pill to cure depression, anxiety, ADHD, ADD, and every other ...

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Copyright

Copyright 2005 by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill.

All Rights Reserved.

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