Lord of the Silent Kingdom

It's cold. The wells of power are weakening and the forces of Night grow strong. The gods are real and still have power,
mostly to do harm. The Instrumentalities of the Night are the worst of these.

Piper Hecht survived a battle with the gods. Now he's Captain-General of the armies fighting a crusade for Patriarch Sublime V. Intrigues swirl around the throne of the Grail Empire, as the imperial family's enemy Anne of Menand raises money to help the Patriarch finance his crusades. To reduce his own vulnerability, sickly Emperor Lothar assigns his two half-sisters -- his immediate heirs -- to their own realms.

Now Piper Hecht learns that the legendary sorceror Cloven Februaren is still alive, more than 100 years old, and on Piper's side. Sieges, explosions, betrayals, Anti-Patriarchs, and suspicious deaths will ensue as the great chess game plays itself out, with Piper Hecht at the center of it all. ..