The Treasured One (Dreamers, Book 2)

As spring ripens into summer and warm winds blow through the apple orchards, rumors abound of hooded strangers scouting the peaceful farmlands of Vash. Flush from their narrow victory over the horrific Vlagh, Longbow and his companions are drawn to this pastoral territory in south Dhrall, confident that they will thwart the next assault by their inhuman foe. But on the border of the desolate Wasteland, the Vlagh is breeding a monstrous new army of venomous bat-bugs and armored spiders. These giant, grotesque legions threaten to overwhelm the allies, who are further shocked by a prophecy delivered by the Dreamers: an invasion by a new, second army. Seduced by the prospect of limitless gold and pagans ripe for enslavement, a corrupt former priest, Jalkan, will betray his allies. Conspiring to plunder this unspoiled land, Jalkan raises a force of armed acolytes and declares a global holy war. Caught up in the clash of these vast powers, neither Longbow and his allies nor Jalkan and his troops grasp the new danger among them. A mysterious entity - neither god nor mortal - has begun to meddle with the minds of both the locals and the invaders, spinning a web of intrigue that entraps all in its path. Farmers and hunters, soldiers and madmen, mortals and gods-all charge to a battle that will decide the fate of the world.