City of Wolves (Nightmarked)

A Pontifex is dead. Another has risen. Civil war looms and the fate of the continent hangs from the threads of four lives.The High Priestess. Kasia Novak fled Novostopol pursued by a shadowy cult called the Order of the Black Sun. Struggling to master her power, she takes shelter with a powerful Kvengard family. The Danzigers are old friends of her mentor Tessaria Foy and promise to see the women safely to Nantwich. But something is wrong at their remote manor house. Ghostly figures stalk the grounds at night. Her readings hint at dire peril. Who is the Jack of Wolves? To practice the art of cartomancy, one must be willing to open doors. Kasia knows the true danger lies not in the cards, but what waits on the other side.The Knight. At the Arx in Kvengard, Alexei Bryce races against time to solve a spate of child abductions. The case leads him down ever darker paths--and towards both his brother and the woman he yearns for. An ancient text on alchemy holds the keys to the mystery, yet not even Alexei suspects the dark purpose for which the children have been taken.The Martyr. Deep in the Morho Sarpanitum, Lezarius begins to remember who deposed him and drove him mad. The Beast of Bal Agnar--a man the rest of the world believes long dead. Only Mikhail Bryce, rendered mute by his inverted Mark, knows the truth. But the forest itself has turned against them and Lezarius's only hope lies in Kvengard--if nihilim hunters don't find them first.The Fool. At the ruins of Bal Kirith, the Nightmage Malach tries to seduce Nikola Thorn into staying as his lover, but Nikola is not easily manipulated. She carries Malach's child--a powerful half-blood--and fears the wrath of his deranged aunt, the Pontifex Beleth. By the terms of their bargain, Malach must help Nikola reach the witches of Dur-Athaara, but letting her go demands that he renounce his selfish nature. A man with one foot in light and the other in deepest shadow, Malach's choice will have consequences for them all.