The Bard by Jules Cory

Title: The Bard
Series: Dragonslayer Book 1
Author: Jules Cory
Genre: Epic Fantasy Adventure Swords and Sorcery

A thrilling fantasy novel of magic and ancient pagan beliefs.
The first volume in an epic trilogy set in a land of dragons and sorcery.
Character-led fiction which explores the bonds of friendship and how they can be broken.

The discovery of a sword that had been lost for generations confirms that the Gods are readying for war once again. The sword holds the secrets to powers thought lost forever. It heralds the return of a Dragonslayer, capable of protecting humankind from the wrath of the ancient deities. But there is a problem. The sword-bearer is a seven year old girl.

Tallen learns quickly how to negotiate the politics of the royal court as she tries to find a place for herself in the capital city. She discovers a talent for being invisible in crowded places. Infiltrating restricted areas. And stealing precious items. But when her skills are commandeered by the King, she finds herself in a world of magick where her latent talents are being fought over. Unaware of her magickal ancestry, she is unprepared for the secret plots to control her and her powers. Schemes, by both friend and foe, that send her into danger.

The discovery of the Empathy Crystal forces Tallen to confront her ancient blood-line and the powers lying within her. She finds herself caught in the middle as the fault-line between the old pantheon of Gods and the new monotheistic religion cracks open. The war between neighbouring kingdoms covers the underlying battle for the power locked within the land they are fighting over. And the souls of the people living there.

As a veterinary nurse, Jules has often eased the stresses of her canine and feline patients with stories of myth and magic, wizards and dragons. She had published chapters in academic textbooks and professional journals, but has traded the scientific formula and Harvard referencing for the creative freedom of writing fantasy novels.

The Dragonslayer series follows Tallen as she discovers what it means to be a Dragonslayer, pawn of her king and the Gods, having to navigate between friendship and betrayal, power and corruption, life and death.

Author Links

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