On an eerie night much like this one, the King of Dembroch left on a secret mission, only to return in a casket.

THIRTY YEARS LATER

Identity unknown, the King's Killer remains at large, gathering forces to slaughter innocents and drench an entire country in blood. It will happen, he promises, at the end of the Sinners' Solemnities, a dark festival in which sacrifices breed monsters and madness.

Desperate to stop this act of terror, the Queen of Dembroch dispatches her defenders to reform the Arx Alliance, a formidable force for good from yesteryear. But best laid plans never go quite right.

Our heroes-Nick, Clay, Jenn, Meghan, and Page Trey-face a world of adventure and peril. There are islanders who yearn for new, permanent residents, Stricken Men who cannot die, and witches who crave their marked ones. Necromancers toy with death, telepaths hide their thoughts behind masks, and pirates burn treasure to quench their thirst. All the while, a monster calls for a new king, a devious trap awaits, and the dark festival approaches. It will be an evening of pure terror when a new moon rises on the winter solstice. The longest, darkest night of three decades.

THE SINNERS' SOLEMNITIES

Set sail in the second installment of Author Patrick Harris' classic tale about the hidden beauties and beasts of the world, the lengths we go for peace, and a desperate hunt that will tear our defenders asunder.