Sign for the Sacred

Lucien is a vibrancer of the Church of Ixmarity, dedicated since childhood to an enslaved life of religious dance. . . until he meets Jeopardy. Cleo is a child-bride of a poisoner, until one of Jeopardy's offspring is brought to her home for disposal and she falls in love with both the child and his father. . . Jeopardy. Delilah is orphaned when a berserker named Trajan attacks and kills everyone in her village. She is the only one who is immune to the plague that Trajan carries, and promises to watch over him as he returns to the sanctuary. . . of Jeopardy. Dauntless Javelot is a chivalrous knight of Ixmarity on his last campaign. . . until he joins Cleo on her journey to seek Jeopardy. Lord Pliance is a courtly vampire who accompanies the pilgrims in the hopes for a cure. . . from Jeopardy. And as they all seek the elusive Jeopardy, they are haunted by a ruthless adversary. Wilfish Implexion is an ecclesiarch in the Church of Ixmarity. Threatened by the power of the pagan Jeopardites, he will use any means possible to kill their prophet. . . Jeopardy! And what of Resenence Jeopardy himself? Is he all that he seems? What is the secret of his charismatic power. . . and what will he decide to do with it? This is the first U.S. edition of Sign for the Sacred, and includes a new introduction by the author. Also included is the original first draft of the beginning of the novel, when it was called "Prophet Dancer," as well as the first four chapters of an aborted sequel titled "Death by Sweetness."