The Years of Longdirk

In his action-packed fantasy saga, originally written under the pseudonym Ken Hood, Scottish-born, Aurora Award–winning author Dave Duncan tells the tale of Scottish outlaw Toby Strangerson, known and feared by the name Longdirk. In 1244, all of Europe is under the control of Genghis Khan, whose conquering Golden Horde has cut a swath of devastation. Scotland, in addition, lies under the heel of England. But out of the battle-scarred highlands, a hero will rise . . . Demon Sword: Young Toby Strangerson, a half-English bastard reared by a witchwife, wants only to shed his hated Sassenach blood and free his beloved highlands. As the outlaw Longdirk, Toby wields a sword that can cut down men like stalks of corn. But stranger winds are swirling across the lochs-eldritch winds that are ridden by hobs and wisps and demons. The enemy Sassenach king is also a sorcerer. His demon soul needs a body, and his Black Arts can free Europe from the Khan's Golden Horde. Demon Rider: Longdirk has become possessed by a hob, a murderous demon spirit, as amoral as a child, neither inherently good nor evil. Toby wants his freedom-and the spirit of the tyrant-demon Nevil, ensorcelled in amethyst, can be traded for the exorcism of the hob. In order to make the exchange, though, Toby and his ally Hamish must face the hexer Oreste on his own ground, in the dank and fetid dungeons of Barcelona, where souls are racked and tortured-and ultimately destroyed on the relentless wheel of the Inquisition. Demon Knight: Longdirk has used gramarye-dark magic-to defeat the Fiend and save Europe from abject slavery, but he has also made himself the most feared and envied man in all of Italy. The hordes are reorganizing and plan to sweep over the Alps once more to retake their lost prize of power and conquest. Toby and his friend Hamish struggle to unite the quarreling city-states into a single, powerful force to resist the invasion, in a world where no ally can be trusted and traitors lurk in every shadow. But there is more at stake than freedom and the destiny of a continent-a woman's love hangs in the balance . . .