Burning Shadows

The conquest of Europe by Attila the Hun is one of the great stories of history. The swift-moving bands of warriors, the inventive military tactics, Attila’s commanding personality—all are the stuff of legend. But to the ordinary people who lived in the Huns’ path, Attila and his men were the stuff of nightmare. Slaughtering entire villages, laying waste to crops and livestock—the Huns were a terrifying force that destroyed everything in their path.Concealing his vampire nature, the Count Saint-Germain has been appointed the regional guardian of a small village on the outskirts of the failing Roman Empire. When word comes of the Huns’ approach, the villagers—like the residents of many other towns—flee, seeking sanctuary at a nearby, high-walled monastery. The monks are none too pleased about being invaded by the outside world with all its complications, but the Abbot reminds them of their charitable duties. With the help of Saint-Germain, the leaders of the refugee camps, and a small contingent of warriors, an uneasy peace is established in the crowded monastery as winter approaches.Among the refugees is a strange, silver-eyed woman whose secret might cost her her life. She hides away in Saint-Germain’s infirmary and soon becomes the vampire’s lover—and now she has two secrets to hold close, for if word of Saint-Germain’s true nature were to spread among the monks and the villagers, his long life would soon be cut dramatically short.As tense months pass and tempers grow ever shorter, Saint-Germain begins to fear that no one—not even he—will escape the monastery alive.