Life is But a Dream

Life is But a Dream

Book two of the Dream Things True Duology.


Available on Kindle (and Kindle Unlimited) and in Paperback!

Kaylie may have escaped Hell, but the mortal world is still at war.

Four armies march on Kaylie’s homeland and, as Corvala’s new queen, it’s her responsibility to repel the invaders and restore peace to the neighboring empires. But her kingdom is still weak from the dark magic plague Lucifer used to lure her into Hell – not to mention the death of one of their most capable military commanders.

Losing the war means fulfilling her promise to marry Lucifer – a union that will plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. To prevent the looming doom, Kaylie needs allies, and fast. But who can she trust when the rest of the world’s rulers seem all too eager to bow to Lucifer’s desires?

One thing is certain; with the war’s final battle looming, the devil is unlikely to remain long in Hell.

The Devil Made Flesh…
Light flickered in the back of the cave. The flicker and dance of the light suggested torches and, indeed, two figures appeared within moments, each holding a torch aloft. The nature of these torchbearers gave Ackoss’s men new cause for consternation; each was only half the size of a man, their skin glistening red in the torchlight, like freshly shed blood. Their eyes were small and dark. A pair of black horns protruded from each forehead. Their stubby wings, too stunted to provide flight, flapped rapidly while they hopped from foot to foot as if performing some ritual dance.

The demons, for they could be nothing else, halted in the cave’s mouth. One step further and the driving rain would douse their torches.

Shadows danced in the distance, distorted across the cave’s far wall. Three men rounded the corner and came into view. Though the figures on the right and left bore the shapes of men, they seemed little more than walking corpses. Their skin was sickly pale, their eyes distant, clouded and empty. Each wore a long black cloak, and Ackoss wondered what lay beneath.

But it was the man in the middle that made grizzled old Ackoss shudder. He wore the same uniform as the soldiers, though he hadn’t bothered with armor. His skin was fair, his hair black as midnight and bound in a long braid. At first glance, there was nothing special about him. Certainly nothing that warranted standing in the rain for hours in the middle of the night. Yet he commanded an astounding presence, his bearing and confidence such that Ackoss couldn’t stand to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds.

At second glance, the stranger’s power became more obvious. As he strode from the shelter of the rock overhang, his hair and clothing remained dry. Squinting closely at the blurred figure, Ackoss swore he saw a tiny halo of light surrounding him, momentarily highlighted by each raindrop that struck it, as if he were embraced by the thinnest mage shield ever crafted.