Can a mere mortal outwit a goddess? Even now, as I wonder how many heartbeats I have left in my body, I do not know. How much power does a prophecy carry in an empire where deadly politics and intrigue reign supreme, and gods are denied as superstition? The fate of those I love most hinges on such questions. For good or ill, I have tried my best to make the path set out before me my own... The choices of Raziel’s mother Moriah continue to weave her son’s destiny in this short story prequel from the vividly rendered Fatal Empire fantasy series by the author of the World of Lasniniar series, Jacquelyn Smith. (This adventure takes place before Keeper of Secrets, the first book in the Fatal Empire series, and is a follow-up to “Keeper of Prophecy.”)

I have never put much stock in prophecy. I may serve as the goddess’s loyal daughter, but I make my own way in this world. In an empire beset by violence and intrigue, to put your faith in anything beyond your own two hands means almost certain death. The blood embedded beneath my fingernails confirms it. ...But some destinies, you cannot outrun. Meet Raziel’s mother Moriah, and learn her secret past in this short story prequel from the richly imagined Fatal Empire fantasy series by the author of the World of Lasniniar series, Jacquelyn Smith.