J.V. Jones Author Logo

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A ring that seeks blood instantly transports young Tessa McCamfrey to a realm where pictures and patterns hold vast magics; where a sorcerous crown - The Barbed Coil - can reweave destiny; where a brutal king is using the crown to conquer an ancient land. And somehow Tessa, aided by two men whose pasts entwine with her own, must master a pattern of ancient power before the Barbed Coil ravages the fate of a world.

His Ship Has Sailed

Ravis Misses the Boat

Ravis couldn't understand why he'd missed his ship to Mizerico. He was not a man to overstay his welcome. And he never needed much sleep. Why, then, had he overslept, waking a full two hours past the crack of dawn? He had to leave this city today.

Tessa McCamfrey

Keeping Her Distance

There was always a distance between herself and other people. She found them hard to judge, got wary when they drew too close. People called her shy, but Tessa didn't feel shy, just reserved.

Eponymous Crown

A Sorcerous Crown

The Barbed Coil is an ancient ephemera; a powerful artifact that slips through time. It vanishes for centuries, then reappears with one goal: to create war. When the bloodshed is over it disappears.

Meet The Characters

  • Tessa finds patterns everywhere she looks. The day she finds a ring in a deserted forest glade her life changes forever.
  • Ravis never wastes his breath on denials. A mercenary by trade he moves from country to country trying to escape his past.
  • Izgard of Garizon was born with no sense of taste. Dark and sadistic, he has no mind except for war.
  • The Scribe deals in the deadliest of magics. He knows the old patterns and the old ways, and when he sits at his scribing desk, poison flows from his brush.
  • Segwin The Ney is a Bay'Zell port officer but his name appears on no roll and his job does not officially exist. He spends his nights in total darkness watching the harbor for signs of illegal activity.
  • Angeline is Izgard's child queen. Frightened of her own shadow, she must learn to stand and fight for herself.
  • Camron is son to one of the richest men in Rhaize. He thinks he knows all the answers, sees nothing except the need to fight, yet he soon comes to realize just how wrong he is.
  • The Harras are Izgard's crack troops. When dark sorcery is used upon them they shift like shadows and turn into dread half-beasts.
  • Emith is a humble scribe's assistant. If the devil turned up in the middle of the road, Emith would swear he's "just a bit misunderstood, that's all."
  • The No-Good Dog was due to be drowned at birth. He's scared of rats, bats and most things that move, yet he loves his mistress with all his doggy heart.

Tessa's Escape

Each step was a fight against the current and the rising water level. The water temperature was colder than the air, and as the level rose to waist height, Tessa could feel a chill settling against her bones. She was close to exhaustion, but she was being hunted. And she had to get away.

Tessa Escapes