The Golden Vial Paperback - 2018

From the rear cover

When a hidden evil threatens to destroy the realm, a young orphan, untested and untrained, could mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life. Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyam's remote hometown to find answers and offer aid.

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human--far-seeing and magic come naturally to her. Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret. But with an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can. Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?


Praise for the Legends of the Realm series

"A wonderful journey away from the real world. . . . A fine start to this intriguing series."--RT Book Reviews, 4 stars, on Emissary

"A deftly crafted and highly entertaining fantasy action/adventure novel from beginning to end."--The Midwest Book Review on Merchant of Alyss


Thomas Locke is a pseudonym for Davis Bunn, an award-winning novelist with worldwide sales of seven million copies in twenty-five languages. Davis divides his time between Oxford and Florida and holds a lifelong passion for speculative stories. He is the author of Emissary and Merchant of Alyss in the Legends of the Realm series; Fault Lines, Trial Run, and Flash Point in the Fault Lines series; and Recruits and Renegades in the Recruits series. Learn more at www.tlocke.com.