Book excerpt: For thousands of years, five great fortresses have stood sentinel between the Borderlands and the rapacious orcs. But the orcs have allies and these allies are about to set a chain of events in motion that will lead to war... Heroes will rise to answer the call. Saethryth has just returned from the orc lands where he has been killing them for over twenty years. He is one of the last Orcslayers left alive. Melress is a half-elven Battle Mage, recently promoted to captain and sent to the fortress of Knight's Perch, where there are rumours of a traitor. Tierra has been sleeping with the enemy and now she wants revenge. And Bazak-Kul, well he just wants to get home alive. They, and others, will face the onslaught at Knight's Perch, but battle is the least of anyone's problems, because The Eighth God is on the rise and everything can change when the gods are playing.