Now presented together in one printed volume, the fourth and fifth novellas of the Descent Into Darkness dark fantasy series continues Ba'tvian Delthanurk's bloody journey. HIS COMMAND The Mancers are falling, hunted and slain by the blood mage they call the Monster of Menie: Ba'tvian Delthanurk. With the aid of his companions, the elven lady Nerisse se li Astorae and the barbarian Ibestor, he has begun a quiet war, leaving nothing but death in his wake. Yet the decision to fight comes with heavy consequences. The Mancers will not die easily under his blade, nor will they stand by to watch their brethren perish. With a single message, they will set in motion events that will force the Monster's most devoted follower, a once-intended priestess, to make a terrible choice in order to survive - and when Ba'tvian gives his command, that choice will be no choice at all... HIS REVENGE With allies new and old, Ba'tvian Delthanurk pursues his most immediate goal: eradicating the Mancers. With their Guild House now in ruins, their numbers slashed, they have gone to ground. While the Shadows search for them at their master's beck, Ba'tvian must confront a more immediate problem. Nerisse se li Astorae has not weathered her service to the man she loves unscathed. She has proven her loyalty, and at a price she had not foreseen. Haunted by what she's done, she strives to develop the skills necessary to help her lord. The hangman's noose awaits; her success or failure will determine who swings on the gallows. For there is a murderer in Rathburn, one whose trail of bodies goes back for more than a decade. The authorities suspect a local; the Mancers suspect a blood mage. The truth is more than either party believes and will lead to the end an era. A conflict is coming. By the end of it, fire will scour the blood-soaked earth.
