In a time when Gods and Demons walked the Earth – A sacrificial snake cult holds a people in thrall as one man tries to unite them against invasion by the Persian empire.

513 BC – Black Sea region – Sava, the son of a powerful warlord, is shunned as craven by his people because he refuses to drink blood and take heads as trophies. Now Sava rides alone in a race against time to unite seven Scythian tribes against the biggest army ever seen.

The warlike Scythians claim descendence from a Drakaina, a female Drakon, (half serpent, half human) and Hercules, son of Zeus.

Sava’s tribe, the Sauromatae, (Greek for `Reptile People’), are descended from Royal Scythian men and a band of the last Amazons. Sauromatians still carry on the traditions of the Amazons – their women must kill an enemy before marriage.

In a time when women in Greece and Rome are considered chattel and kept sequestered, Scythian and Sauromatian women ride freely with men, hunting, raiding and to war.

Though vastly outnumbered, the barbarian tribesmen have one advantage: they have bred the biggest, fastest war horses in the known world. Both horses and riders are armored. Riders carry 16 foot lances. The first knights.

On his travels Sava meets the beautiful, spirited Kleo, daughter of a tribal leader. Among Kleo’s people, Sava attends an Oracle of the Dead. During the ritual he is drugged and wanders alone through sulphuric darkness in a subterranean labyrinth. He must find the Oracle Chamber. On his way, Sava witnesses three gruesome death scenes. After each one he comes to an iron gate and is asked – `What is Death?’ Each time he must give a different answer.

As he travels through the land of the Scythian Black Cloaks, Sava and his horse are chased by steppe lions and take cover in a giant barrow, (burial kurgan). He becomes trapped, hiding in the depths when a funeral party arrives. During the burial ceremony, select priestesses and warriors perform the `Dance of Origins’, a steamy re-enactment of the mating between the Drakaina and Hercules. The dance climaxes in an orgy of ritual human sacrifice, forcing Sava to make a decision that could destroy his mission and his people.

THE HORSE LORDS SERIES delves into ancient mystery cults – The orgies of Dionysos, necromancy and human sacrifice. How did the sorcerers get people to accept such horrific acts? Was it all through superstitious fear, drugs and mass hypnosis?

Or was there a kernel of truth to ancient spirituality? This series investigates the thin blurred line between fantasy, reality, higher consciousness and madness.

The Horse Lords series is a skillful blending of history, myth and romantic fiction It is a gripping adventure saga told as serial cliffhangers and featuring a vivid cast of characters.

Fans of Conan the Barbarian will enjoy this series.

Books in The Horse Lords series:

SERPENT GODDESS – Horse Lords Book 1
RIVER GOD – The Horse Lords Book 2
SORCERY OF THE WINE GOD – The Horse Lords Book 3
GUARDIANS AT THE GATE – The Horse Lords Book 4, forthcoming