Rescued from prison by her friend Mischa and a young seeker-mage named Kevan, Ariana Mirida suddenly finds she has a new quest... or a repeat of the original one. The Emerald of Karria is in the hands of her enemy, Sir Tiercel. And the Emerald of Karria is the only thing that can prove the true identity of Ariana's newest companion.
He claims to be Wyndrel Perras, prince and rightful king of the Emerin. Betrayed by Sir Tiercel when he refused to turn to Morvalan ways, and locked away for eight years in the deepest dungeon, he is driven by his desire for righteous revenge. Golden-haired, tawny-eyed, and handsome in a way foreign to most elves being especially broad of shoulder and deep of voice he is also a brooding, seething, arrogant man with a quick temper and the prowess and strength to settle his battles decisively.
The four of them, in secrecy and silence, leave the city in pursuit of Sir Tiercel. Their mission will lead them across the uncharted wilds of the Emerin, to a final confrontation on the rocky slopes of a dormant volcano. But Ariana and Wyndrel will each find that the greatest challenge they must face is the fact that he cannot stand her, she cannot stand him, but at the same time they are compellingly drawn toward each other.
Unknowing of any of this, the Starleaf Council continues to deal with their challenge. The Emerin must have a king, and with the support of the powerful Archmage Kysander Feyna, it is becoming clear that Count Elyvorrin might be able to claim the throne. If, that is, the count's premature attempt at revenge against Ariana's father, Arien Mirida, does not bring him down first.
(For his excellence in looking good on the battlefield, Wyndrel gets the Wondero award!)
The adorable Kittykat, one of the main characters from Good vs. Medieval's Crossroads of Souls, sits amongst her collection of stuffed toys modeled after other characters from the story. They are Indingo, the peacock dragon; Critikul, the Skullduggery demon lord; and Crass, the playboy donkey. Merchandising!
A string of horrific, inexplicable murders. A single black rose left at the scene of each crime. And in the peaceful coastal town of Trinity Bay, Theresa Zane has just met the man of her dreams. Literally.
He is an incubus, with the power to touch the sleeping minds of women and waken their darkest and most hidden desires. His influence turns wives against husbands, mothers against sons, friends against friends. No one is safe. Theresa least of all. For it is Theresa he wants. Theresa he must have. He will do anything to win her. Anything at all. Even kill.
The haunting image of black roses will lead Theresa to Seacliff, a house with a troubled past. But not even the help of three dead girls and a mysterious necklace may be enough to save her.
Artist Eric Burns has a harem of his own, so I thought it would be nice to draw a few of his sexy babes playing volleyball. Behind the net, from left to right, are Savannah, Fox and Dazzler. The picture almost ended there, but a challenge was offered by my three gals, and a sizzling three-on-three tournament ensued!
Jumping off a building was harrowing enough until Rumble and Laserbeak made matters worse. Arcee is the most detailed and complex I-Bot ever, the traditional android shell design replaced with a skeleton of metal, wires, joints, and hydraulics. All of the I-bots can be seen in the special I-bot gallery.
Artist Dusty Peterson draws a lot of great, grotesque images, some of them inspired by Transformers. The two of us had an artistic showdown to see who could mangle an Insecticon beyond human comprehension. I chose Kickback, the grasshopper.
Killer deep-sea mermaids, whose torsos double as toothy mouths, kick serious tail fin! This specimen may appear peaceful and friendly, but watch out! Between her and my previous creation, I wonder who would be swallowed first?