An Heir to Thorns and Steel (fiction)

The first book of the Blood Ladders series, a fantasy set in the Archipelago universe. Begins in the Commonwealth of Troth.

Blurb
From the day he was born, Morgan Locke of Evertrue has been plagued with seizures, vomiting, spells of weakness. Years of suffering have taught him how to work around the worst effects of his illness, and at last he has been delivered to the university, where he finds solace in learning, and in the companionship of his few friends.

When his disease turns more virulent, he becomes desperate for answers. That's when two creatures out of myth show up on his doorstep, claiming he is the lost prince of the Archipelago, where elves are the masters of magic. They are also the masters of other things: slaves, and humans who are no better than slaves. But the promise of a magical cure is Morgan's only hope, and it propels him on a journey to a cruel and breathtaking world.

Will he live? Is he--a human!--truly a magical prince out of myth? And are the nightmares that afflict him mere dreams... or hints of a future to come, torn by war and unnatural demons?

Notable Characters

 * Almond
 * Amhric
 * Amoret
 * Kelu
 * Kethdeslan
 * Morgan Locke
 * Sidithin
 * Vrakael