Shasp Ironwrought; heir to wounds and strife; half-breed in exile; citizen of nowhere; master of steel; bowing to no one. In the frozen mountains of the Arrigin, a young woman screams and flees from the horror of a netherworld spirit. A struggle ensues for the soul of an innocent and the destiny of a nation. One man will become A Thorn for a Rose . In the golden steppes of the Acadea, an ancient weapon of mass destruction awaits its resurrection, and rogue mercenaries battle to control Nomerika's future. Who will succumb to the temptation of Ancient Whispers? On the burning sands of the southern desert, a sinister overlord, bent on returning a dark religion of bloodshed to the world, enslaves men and women with an evil drug. Armies of good and evil will clash upon the Raging Sands. On the fertile island of Aypon, an emperor battles cunning assassins, but not all is as it seems in a contorted contest of wills and a turbulent past. Bitter Returns bear bitter fruit. From storm tossed seas, burning wastelands, and frozen mountains to steaming jungles and ancient tombs, Shasp Ironwrought faces unimaginable evil with nothing but the Blood in his veins, the Steel in his fist and Vengeance in his heart.