Books in the Black Rose Sorceress series

Sherra We belong to the King--those of us with the black roses tattooed on our left wrist, directly over our pulse. As if every beat of our hearts reminds us that we are not our own. All the women with the fire burning within them are culled, tattooed and taken to the warriors, to provide more energy; energy that the warriors would then use to defeat the barbarians from the ocean of sand. In the King's library, The Book of the Rose says to honor the tattooed women. More than anything, I want to spit on its pages. As for running--there is one thing worse than having a black rose on your wrist. That is for the enemy to find you and see the black rose tattooed there. Your death will be slow and excruciating at their hands...

Crown Prince Thorn: I felt defeated. Helpless. If Sherra were alive, why didn't she mindspeak to tell me so? Every day, I floundered against that notion-that if she were alive, she'd have contacted me by now. "Don't give up, Thorn," Hunter said softly. "We don't know everything there is to know." "Hunter, every day reminds me of how little we actually do know." * * * Sherra has not returned to the King. Seven months have passed and Kaakos, Ny-nes' leader, is rebuilding his army. His plan is to unleash an onslaught against Az-ca-in retaliation for the destruction of his troops and weapons. In Az-ca, the King's health is failing, the enemy is on the march and Merrin and his rogues have forged an alliance with enemy infiltrators. Will the Crown Prince be forced to deal with attacks from both sides, without Sherra's help? Will Az-ca survive if Sherra is dead, as so many believe?