Children of the Desert Series by Leona Wisoker

Cafad Scratha, a powerful desert lord with a persecution complex, believes everyone is lying to him. When his obsession collides with the king's efforts to rebuild the shattered realm, the orphaned street-thief Idisio and the king's emissary Alyea become pawns in their multilayered game. The secret world into which Idisio and Alyea are drawn will not only change their lives: it will change them... moreCafad Scratha, a powerful desert lord with a persecution complex, believes everyone is lying to him. When his obsession collides with the king's efforts to rebuild the shattered realm, the orphaned street-thief Idisio and the king's emissary Alyea become pawns in their multilayered game. The secret world into which Idisio and Alyea are drawn will not only change their lives: it will change them.NOTE: This book was originally published through Mercury Retrograde Press; it is currently housed with ReAnimus Press. less

In this sequel to Wisoker's acclaimed debut Secrets of the Sands, the new desert lord Alyea Peysimun returns to Bright Bay in the company of ancient, mysterious Deiq, who has agreed to serve as her mentor, and the young ha'ra'ha Idisio, whose powers and history are only beginning to emerge. Alyea's changed status will upset a precarious balance in Bright Bay--but that is nothing compared to the hidden havoc her transition is already creating in the desert.

A young ha'ra'ha comes into his power.A young human tries to escape his past.A priest struggles with both.To find redemption, they must risk their sanity--and their souls.Idisio, once a street thief, has come a long way: from poverty to power is a heady ride. But his new place among those who rule the world is a precarious perch with a high price attached--and now he must learn how to balance his new power with his increasingly tenuous grasp on humanity... moreA young ha'ra'ha comes into his power.A young human tries to escape his past.A priest struggles with both.To find redemption, they must risk their sanity--and their souls.Idisio, once a street thief, has come a long way: from poverty to power is a heady ride. But his new place among those who rule the world is a precarious perch with a high price attached--and now he must learn how to balance his new power with his increasingly tenuous grasp on humanity. His new peers tell him ha'ra'hain do not have or need human ethics and emotions. His instincts tell him otherwise, but that path takes him down a dangerous road: one he might not survive.Tanavin of the Aerthraim should be dead. Raised by Aerthraim Family and sent out to die as bait in a trap that saved a kingdom, he still bears terrible scars--and his continued survival is a dangerous secret. He becomes a mercenary in an effort to escape his past; when he encounters a childhood companion in need of protection, he must decide how far back into the games of the powerful he is willing to be drawn--and how much of himself he will risk.Kolan of Arason fell in love with a ha'ra'ha--then ran from her, fleeing into the arms of the Arason branch of the Northern Church to become a priest. That decision cost him dearly, and cost her more. When he finds himself imprisoned with her, and the target of her long-restrained wrath, he has nothing to sustain his sanity but his faith. But when he escapes, he finds that faith in the darkness is an entirely different matter than faith under sunlight--and must choose which is more important: faith in the gods--or faith in one's love.Ha'reye and humanity have misunderstood one another for over a thousand years--and that may be the only reason humanity still exists. less

Lord Alyea Peysimun gambles everything.Deiq of Stass makes an unexpected commitment.Lord Eredion Sessin trades loyalty for ethics.Don't ever call it love.Since her return from the southlands, Alyea has been de facto Head of a newly minted, not-yet-official desert Family--in Bright Bay. Recent events have exposed her enemies and foiled their plans. But things grow only more complicated. She must risk everything to protect what matters--and redefine her understanding of loyalty... moreLord Alyea Peysimun gambles everything.Deiq of Stass makes an unexpected commitment.Lord Eredion Sessin trades loyalty for ethics.Don't ever call it love.Since her return from the southlands, Alyea has been de facto Head of a newly minted, not-yet-official desert Family--in Bright Bay. Recent events have exposed her enemies and foiled their plans. But things grow only more complicated. She must risk everything to protect what matters--and redefine her understanding of loyalty. What she does next will send yet another shockwave through power structures both north and south.For centuries Deiq has stood poised on the razor edge between man and monster. The conflict has left him exhausted and suicidal, and he risks even worse if the Jungles find out what he's been up to. Whe he discovers himself in the midst of a war between rival teyanain factions, the conflicting pressures on him reach new heights. If it is true that ha'ra'hain have souls, Deiq will bet his on the people and cause to which he commits himself. Not even the teyanain can predict what will happen next.Eredion has had more than enough of Bright Bay, but the situation is too precarious for him to retire as Sessin liaison to the king; he has long since moved past restricting himself to protecting Sessin interests, and is trying to rebuild sanity in the Northern Kingdom. When the Head of Sessin Family takes the decision out of his hands, Eredion must confornt the gap between what is expected of him and what he believes to be right.Sometimes, love just gets in the way. less

A ubiquitous southern saying: "Everyone serves, in the end". Another: "The teyanain are involved, eventually, in everything." People rarely consider how those two statements overlap.... The Agreement, that ancient compact between humanity and ha'reye, has kept the southlands relatively stable and peaceful for hundreds of years. But as humans tend to rebel against serving invisible masters and maneuver to subvert service to visible ones, the Agreement has been fraying for a long time... moreA ubiquitous southern saying: "Everyone serves, in the end". Another: "The teyanain are involved, eventually, in everything." People rarely consider how those two statements overlap.... The Agreement, that ancient compact between humanity and ha'reye, has kept the southlands relatively stable and peaceful for hundreds of years. But as humans tend to rebel against serving invisible masters and maneuver to subvert service to visible ones, the Agreement has been fraying for a long time. All it needed was someone obsessed with uncovering an elusive truth to break it completely. Men like Cafad Scratha and Allonin Aerthraim. A First Born ha'ra'ha like Deiq of Stass. A younger ha'ra'ha like Idisio. And women like Lord Alyea Peysimun, Lord Azaniari Aerthraim-Darden, and Riss of Obein. All bring their own overlapping secrets, truths, and fears to the unfolding disaster. Then the teyanain's internal battles and beliefs spill from shadow to stark light ... the final push on an already teetering pillar. The time for secrets is over, and the world will never be the same. less