The Nine Worlds of medieval times are threatened by threats from Norse and Gaelic mythology, and only the teenagers -- the Venetian mariner's daughter, Clarinda, and Hospitaller knight, Ríg -- can prevent the return of the darkest of the Artifacts of Destiny, the Codex Lacrimae. If they manage to survive, Clarinda & Ríg will discover whether friendship and perhaps love can stand against the host of villainous enemies, supernatural forces, and the march-to-war on different planes of existence caused by the return of the most corrupt of the Books of Fates, and the different paths that they will choose are unexpected and filled with perils that are literally out of this world. In action-filled journeys and breathtaking battles that range across exotic locales such as the besieged Krak des Chevaliers on Midgard, to the Weeping Wood of Svartalfheim, the Dwarf-Caverns of Nidaveller, and even to the fabled Fjords of Asgard, the relationship between the Norn and Hospitaller knight develops and deepens. With an unpredictable outcome that confounds traditional expectations of the genre and begins the tale of a thousand year-romance, this first book of The Artifacts of Destiny will surprise and delight readers of epic fantasy!

The worlds-spanning conclusion to "The Codex Lacrimae," the first of nine novels in A.J. Carlisle's epic fantasy series, "The Artifacts of Destiny." With Aurelius believed dead and Clarinda cast to parts unknown by the power of the Dark Book, the Nine Worlds and multiverse of medieval times are threatened by reemergent threats from Norse mythology, the armies of Saladin and Hela Queen of the Dead, and the darkest of the Artifacts of Destiny, the Codex Lacrimae. If they manage to survive, Ríg and Clarinda will discover whether friendship and love can stand against the host of villainous enemies, supernatural forces, and the march-to-war on different planes of existence caused by the return of the most corrupt of the Books of Fates, and the different paths that they will choose are unexpected and filled with perils that are literally out of this world. In action-filled journeys and breathtaking battles that range across exotic locales such as the besieged Krak des Chevaliers on Midgard, to the Weeping Wood of Svartalfheim, the Dwarf-Caverns of Nidaveller, and even to the fabled Fjords of Asgard, the relationship between the Hospitaller and Norn develops and deepens. With an unpredictable outcome that confounds traditional expectations of the genre and begins the tale of a thousand year romance, this first book of The Artifacts of Destiny will surprise and delight readers of epic fantasy!

While heroes from three religions unite to save all existence from a threat out of Norse mythology, a thousand year love story begins... The Nine Worlds and multiverse of medieval times are threatened by reemergent threats from Norse mythology, and only the teenagers Clarinda Trevisan & Ríg can prevent the return of the darkest of the Artifacts of Destiny, the Codex Lacrimae. As the youths discover whether friendship and love can stand against the host of villainous enemies, supernatural forces, and the march-to-war on different planes of existence caused by the return of the most corrupt of the Books of Fates, the different paths that they choose are unexpected and filled with perils that are literally out of this world. In action-filled journeys and breathtaking battles that range across exotic locales such as the besieged Krak des Chevaliers on Midgard, to the Weeping Wood of Svartalfheim, the Dwarf-Caverns of Nidaveller, and even to the fabled Fjords of Asgard, the relationship between the Hospitaller and Norn develops and deepens. They find that they have to rely on each other if they're to successfully confront new menaces such as the Rock Giants, the Midgard Serpent, the Murderer Kullervo, Dietrich the Mad Dwarf, and Fafnir the Dragon...all of whom have joined Satan, Hela, Farbauti, and Morpeth in the hunt for the Codex Lacrimae... .

📚2018 Wattys Shortlist!📚 An ancient evil returns. The Huntsmen of Muspelheim want the Codex Lacrimae, so they've set a trap in 12th Century Crusader lands to get it! Believed lost for half a millennium, the Codex Lacrimae reappears when an old scholar brings the Dark Book to the Hospitaller castle of the Krak des Chevaliers. Unwittingly, that action leads the malevolent Huntsmen to the one person they've been seeking: Ríg, an apprentice who trains the warrior-monks in the castle's library and seeks only a quiet existence because of a haunted past. The arrival of the Codex Lacrimae and its supernatural temptations will force Ríg to choose between the peaceful path of a priest or violent ways of a warrior. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, the Norns of Fate try to counter the Huntsmen's plot by casting a net around Clarinda Trevisan, a beautiful Venetian sea merchant's daughter who is content to sail with her father's fleet throughout the Mediterranean Sea. After her father disappears, Clarinda's attempt to solve the mystery pulls her into both Ríg's orbit and matters far greater than the cargoes and crews that usually occupy her time. The girl must learn the ways of war and magic to fulfill Fate's role, and confront strange creatures of Norse mythology, a nefarious Templar Grandmaster, the magical Nine Worlds, and a tempestuous relationship with Ríg himself! The return of the Codex Lacrimae unleashes a host of evils that might challenge even the most star-crossed of lovers. If Clarinda & Ríg can't stop the Huntsmen of Muspelheim, Hela and her Wilde Jagd, the Dragon Fafnir, the armies of Saladin, & a mysterious figure whose dark designs are centuries in the making, they'll find the worlds of the Multiverse at the brink of annihilation!