Book excerpt: Once he lived a life of valor and principle—a life that ended in betrayal and defeat. James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, in life the embittered, martyred Cavalier, walks a different path in the Underworld. Embracing deceit and unbridled ambition as fervently as he once served God and England, Montrose has clawed his way up the Hierarchy to become a cynical lieutenant of the Deathlords of Stygia. Today, he's no one's idea of a hero—and a hero is what the Shadowlands needs. Because something truly evil is stirring. Something cunning and malign that threatens the living and dead alike. And Montrose is the only being with a prayer of stopping it. The Ebon Mask is the first volume in the shadowy, suspenseful Dark Kingdoms trilogy, based on the popular role-playing game Wraith: The Oblivion.