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The Emerald Dagger

Barbara M. Hodges
ISBN 0-9740848-1-6
$13.95 (plus $3.50 S&H Media Mail)

"In the shadowed corner, runes carved into the stone floor curved outward, and a char-coated brazier stood in their center. Staring into the brazier's black concave bottom, Dirkk muttered beneath his breath. A sickly green ember formed and floated in the darkness. He leaned forward and breathed upon it. Once. Twice. Three times. The ember flared, casting an evil blue upon his face. The flame spread until green fire filled, then danced suspended on the air. "

Reviews

Ms. Barbara M. Hodges has written a rich fantasy full of imaginative landscapes and diverse characters. Her words transport you to a place where dragons rule the air and magic touches all who live there, making this book hard to put down. There are so many subplots I found it hard to pinpoint one heroine and one hero, but I am sure they will all lead to subsequent sequels. The back stories are deep enough to keep many a reader enthralled for some time. I adored this escape into her imagination.—Katherine L. Hunt —Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books —Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

The Emerald Dagger is the second book in the Daradawn Series. In the first book of this series, The Blue Flame, the reader is introduced to the magical world of Daradawn and its inhabitants. The reader is also introduced to four visitors to Daradawn: Kelsey Cafferty, her sister Regan, Regan's friend Ben Sampson, and Maggie the dog. These four visitors have traveled to Daradawn to our world through a magical gateway between the two dimensions. These four outsiders join forces with Queen Tessa and her allies to defeat the evil power hungry mage Dirkk.

In The Emerald Dagger, the evil mage Dirkk comes out of hiding and readies his plans for world domination once again. This time, through a powerful demon confined within a magical dagger, Dirkk intends to enslave various races and use them against Queen Tessa and her allies. With this plan accomplished, Dirkk then intends to take Regan as his Queen, with the two of them ruling all of Daradawn. Once again, the inhabitants of Daradawn call upon their allies from our world, those living in Daradawn, and those coming to visit the magical world as the mystical rift between our worlds opens once again.

The Emerald Dagger, like the preceding book The Blue Flame, is beautifully written, contains wonderfully well developed characters, and so action filled that it defies the reader to put down the book before the story is read. If anything, the reader will find The Emerald Dagger is better and even more compelling than the first book of this series, mainly due to the fact that the reader has already bonded with the characters and already understands the nature of this magical world. Though I highly recommend reading The Blue Flame before reading The Emerald Dagger, book two of this series is completely self-contained and the reader need not read the first book to comprehend what is happening. —8 out of 10, Tami Brady

Regan and Kelsey are take-charge, passionate heroines with riveting storylines. An added treat is a beguiling cast of secondary characters, all with their own stories. The mixture of spellbinding romance and dark adventure left me eagerly anticipating the third tale. —4 1/2 Stars Susan Mitchell for Romantic Times Book Club Magazine

Fans of powerful sword and sorcery tales will want to read the tremendous The Emerald Dagger, a descriptive epic fantasy...This second tale avoids the middle book syndrome due to the villain, a brilliant but evil strategist who makes this a winner for sub-genre fans.

Once again, Ms. Hodges has a winning story. Even more complex and magnificently detailed than the first in the series, The Emerald Dagger is exciting, heart-rending, and enchanting. Characters maintain a continuity and heroism that makes the entire world she has created logical and reasonable. Love and heartbreak intertwine with action and magic. The lead to a sequel is left open in a very realistic, not at all forced, manner. This is a world readers will be happy to visit again and again. —Amanda Kilgore for Huntress Reviews

The first novel, The Blue Flame, was a strong epic fantasy that had the reader believe in Daradawn and the once in seven-year bridge between worlds. This tale is an even greater book as Barbara M. Hodges paints a vivid picture of her magical realm, but Dirkk seems more genuine as a clever but malevolent strategist. Fans of deep sword and sorcery tales will appreciate this fast-paced story that connects Earth with Daradawn. —Reviewed by Harriet Klausner Posted July 31,2003

Read an Excerpt:

Prologue

A MAN STEPPED from the concealing shadows of the forest and into the moon-dappled clearing. Wiping his palms against the sides of his robe, he took a deep breath and whistled three short notes. A snort of laughter sounded from the mouth of the cave across the glade.

"Such nonsense is not needed. If I had not wanted you here, you would already be dead."

Dirkk, ex-Baron of Cornith, sauntered from the dark entrance. A black half-mask covered his face, and he wore a body-hugging jerkin of a burgundy so deep it seemed to absorb the light around him. Hose of the same hue covered his legs, and a fur-lined cloak hung in a straight line from his shoulders to brush the toes of leather boots polished to a high sheen. A chain of gold links encircled his neck and trailed down across his chest to disappear inside the folds of the cloak.

Dirkk's cold green eyes flicked over the waddling figure. A brown robe stretched tight over the man's bulging middle, and his pallid skin glowed ghostly white in the wan light of the moon. He wheezed as he approached Dirkk.

"How goes it, Thomas? Or should I say Healer Kerry Daemon?" Dirkk said.

Gray eyes, the only thing recognizable from the Thomas Dirkk had known from before, hardened to granite. "Don't call me such," he snarled.

At his tone, two pale silver shapes leapt from the shadows. They were huge, the size of small ponies. The origins of the shaggy beasts were seen in the shape of their heads and pointed ears, but those features were all that remained of the forest wolves they'd been. Black lips drew back from their four-inch fangs and a deep growl rumbled from their throats as they circled Thomas. He froze in place and grew paler still.

"You fear my fenris-ena?"

Thomas gulped and nodded, his earlier anger disappearing as fear took over.

Dirkk laughed. "As you should. With but one flick of my finger they would shred you and then feed on your flesh."

"Aye, Master," Thomas choked out.

Dirkk looked beyond Thomas. "You come empty-handed?"

"They wait behind me with Talix."

"Talix?" Dirkk's eyes glittered in the white light. "What is the dear fairie prince doing here so soon after his last visit? Does he strive to lead his father to us?"

"He has news."

"Bring them forward," Dirkk said curtly, then turned and walked back into the cave. He snapped his fingers and the fenris-ena leapt to follow.

Thomas moved back into the towering trees. "Come," he ordered.

Ten small, naked figures, eight females and two males, flew into the clearing. Nine fairies stared straight ahead out of dull, vacant eyes. The tenth fairie, eyes glittering with menace, flew to hover before Thomas.

"Talix," Thomas said flatly.

"Where is Dirkk?" Talix demanded.

"Inside."

Talix darted toward the cave's opening. Thomas smiled, saying nothing. Snarls filled the air, followed by a high-pitched squeal. Then the fairie prince erupted from the cave and streaked back to Thomas.

"Why did you not tell me?" he screamed, his face contorted with rage.

"You did not ask," Thomas said smugly.

"I will...I will..."

Thomas leaned toward Talix and smiled again, his lips curling with malice. "You will what?"

"Enough." The cold word sent both Thomas and Talix spinning to face the cave. Dirkk's gaze swept over the nine fairies. "This is all you have brought?"

Talix flew to hover before Dirkk's eyes. "This is all I could chance," he whined. "Father is growing suspicious. He has gone to Daradawn to demand help from the queen."

"Tessa," Dirkk said, his voice soft, but his hands curled into fists at his sides. "And?"

"I don't know. He hadn't returned before..."

"You came without finding out what the harlot queen intends?"

The fairie darted back behind Thomas. "What can they do? No one knows where you are."

"Have you forgotten Regan and her insipid mate Peter?" Dirkk said.

Talix hesitated, then drew closer to Dirkk. "They can do nothing against your glorious power, Master."

Dirkk dismissed the flattery, staring into the trees beyond the fairie prince.

"The rift is open," Thomas said.

Dirkk turned his attention back to the fat man. "Has Kelsey come?"

Thomas shrugged. "Patrick has not yet returned. I do not know."

"Rourk's whelp remains beneath your thumb?"

"Completely," Thomas said, standing taller.

Talix fluttered between them. "We do not need the human. I..."

"...have brought not nearly enough fairies," Dirkk said. Talix cringed and darted again to hover behind Thomas. Dirkk walked to the group of silent fairies. "How long before they will be missed?"

"They are from a deep woods clan. I took them all. It will be a while before any alarm is sounded."

Dirkk turned on his heels. "Bring them." As if in response to his command and the evil to come, clouds covered the moon and plunged the glade into blackness.