Lords Of Trillium

“Fans of Redwall and the Warriors series will love this heroic tale of good versus evil in a subterranean society of rats.” —Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series When the albino rat Billycan left Trillium at the end of The White Assassin, he fled to the island of Tosca. There, here learns that a former ally, working undercover in Nightshade City, is plotting to free Killdeer's imprisoned evil generals and seize power. He races back to Trillium to join in the coup—but on which side? So begins the gripping conclusion to Hilary Wagner's Nightshade Chronicles. But something even more sinister is afoot in Trillium City. Rats are disappearing, and so Juniper leads a search party topside, where they discover that Prince Pharmaceuticals, the insidious corporation that tortured so many rats, is back in business, still searching for the secret of Trillium rats' incredible intelligence and longevity. The fate of the Nightshade rats is in Billycan's hands, but can he be trusted? Can he use his connection to the human scientists to ensure the safety of the Lords of Trillium forever?

The dramatic and satisfying conclusion to the Nightshade Chronicles reveals the secret of the Nightshade rats unique powers and resolves old rivalries and conflicts.

Three fan-favorite authors present “a classic fantasy quest involving mysterious wizards, rites of passage, and the salvation of a kingdom” (Library Journal). Peace has long reigned in Ruwenda thanks to the magical protection of the Archimage Binah. The realm’s devoted guardian is aging, however, and her magic is weakening. When the kingdom’s triplet princesses were still infants, Binah gave each of them the mystical power of the Black Trillium. But the unthinkable occurs too soon, and Ruwenda is overrun by the ravaging armies of neighboring Labornok before the sisters, Haramis, Kadiya, and Anigel, have time to learn how to use their great gift. Forced to flee, the young princesses must follow their separate destinies through a dangerous and unfamiliar world of Oddlings and enemies—for only the combined power of three magical talismans can help them defeat the malevolent sorcerer who has brought chaos and death to their once-idyllic home. But it will take new kinds of strength and wisdom to confront the great evil that has descended on the World of the Three Moons. Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre Norton, three of the most honored names in fantasy fiction, have joined forces to create an extraordinary world and culture in the first book of the remarkable Saga of the Trillium, a breathtaking tale of duty, peril, love, and magic.

As a world crumbles, three royal sisters must reclaim a lost magic to rescue their shattered home from a plague of ancient malevolence. The story that began with Black Trillium—the brainchild of Julian May, Andre Norton, and Marion Zimmer Bradley, three of fantasy fiction’s greats—takes glorious flight in Sky Trillium as author May carries the magnificent saga of magic, sisterhood, and destiny to breathtaking new heights. The Petals of the Living Trillium—Anigel the Queen, Kadiya the Warrior, and Haramis the Archimage—have defeated great evil to keep their realm safe, thanks in part to three magical talismans dating back to the War of Enchantment that nearly destroyed the world in the time of the Vanished Ones. Now, with one relic missing and another rendered powerless, the World of the Three Moons is vulnerable—and a devastating outbreak of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters suggests that a dark and terrible magic is descending once again. The last hope for the planet’s salvation lies in the fabled Sky Trillium, but its creation depends on the three sisters being able to recover what was stolen from them and escape the poisonous intrigues of the royal court, banding together one more time to forge a Scepter of Power. But the old wounds of an ancient war continue to fester—and the Star Men are waiting to see the Petals wither and fall.

Deep beneath a modern metropolis lies the Catacombs, a kingdom of remarkable rats of superior intellect . . . Juniper and his maverick band of rebel rats have been plotting ever since the Bloody Coup turned the Catacombs, a once-peaceful democracy, into a brutal dictatorship ruled by decadent High Minister Killdeer and his vicious henchman, Billycan, a former lab rat with a fondness for butchery. When three young orphan rats—brothers Vincent and Victor and a clever female named Clover—flee the Catacombs in mortal peril and join forces with the rebels, it proves to be the spark that ignites the long-awaited battle to overthrow their oppressors and create a new city: Nightshade City. This digital edition now includes the first chapter of The White Assassin, the second book in the Nightshade Chronicles.

A powerful malevolence reemerges in a terrifying new guise to threaten a feuding royal family and enslave the realm in the continuation of the acclaimed Saga of the Trillium Twelve years have passed since three princesses joined together to defeat the powerful evil poisoning their kingdom, but over time their relationship has become strained. When impetuous Kadiya, devoted champion of the aboriginal Oddlings, loses the talisman entrusted to her, she and her sisters, Anigel the noble Queen and wise Haramis the Archimage, will need to put their differences aside or see the world they protect obliterated—for the return of a malevolence they believed had been vanquished threatens the fragile security of Ruwenda and the future of the World of Three Moons. The fugitive wizard Portolanus—originally believed to be merely a lesser magician and an intolerable windbag—has gained the ability to magically unbind the sisters’ tripart Scepter of Power. And woe to the world when the enemy’s true face is finally revealed—for it has turned the petals of the sacred Black Trillium, encased in amulets worn around the necks of three royal siblings, an ominous blood red. A beloved author of science fiction and fantasy, Julian May created the World of the Three Moons in collaboration with her fellow fantasy fiction luminaries Andre Norton and Marion Zimmer Bradley in the classic novel Black Trillium. She takes the reins alone with Blood Trillium, the breathtaking continuation of the thrilling saga of sisterhood, magic, and a broken family reuniting to save a world.

Reunite with Juniper and his band of rebels three years after they liberated the Catacombs and established the democratic Nightshade City A sense of peace has settled over Nightshade, but it is a false one. Billycan, the White Assassin, has been found deep in the southern swamps, where he now rules a horde of savage rats eager to overrun Nightshade City. With the help of an ancient colony of bats and an uneasy alliance with the swamp snakes, Juniper and his council set out to thwart Billycan's plans. When a shocking secret is revealed, everything changes. The fate of Nightshade City and the life of Juniper's only son depend on Juniper's decision: should he help his mortal enemy? The past resurfaces with devastating impact in this sequel to Nightshade City, a dark tale of intrigue, deception, and betrayal.

Torn between love and duty, a reluctant young acolyte will be called on to magically save her imperiled world in this enthralling chapter of the Saga of the Trillium Of the three royal siblings who made up the Petals of the Living Trillium, only Lady Haramis survives nine hundred years after the events that nearly devastated their realm. But the Archimage is old and ill, and a successor must be found if Ruwenda is to remain safe and protected. In Princess Mikayla, Haramis recognizes the ideal candidate. However, the impulsive teenager must be carefully schooled in the magic arts—and the headstrong youth isn’t certain she even wants the responsibility, especially if it means abandoning her one true love. But time is running out—for Haramis and for the kingdom. And with disaster looming, the fate of Mikayla’s endangered homeland may soon fall heavily on the shoulders of a young, only half-trained rebel, ready or not. Revisiting the magnificent world she created with fellow fantasy luminaries Julian May and Andre Norton in Black Trillium, the remarkable Marion Zimmer Bradley joins coauthor Elisabeth Waters to gaze into the far future of the World of the Three Moons. Lady of the Trillium is an enthralling, unforgettable tale of destiny, duty, magic, love, and the seemingly unbridgeable chasm between old and young.

Inquiry conducted by Sub-committee A (Economic and Financial Affairs, and International Trade)

In this report the European Union Committee warn that unless the Directive on alternative investment funds is compatible with a global regulatory approach it will seriously damage the EU and UK economies. The UK Government should not agree with the Directive unless it is compatible with equivalent legislation in third countries and in particular the United States. It is essential to ensure that EU alternative investment fund managers do not lose competitiveness at a global level. This is a particular concern for the UK and the City of London which has a large alternative investment fund industry that employed an estimated 40,000 people in 2009. The Committee recognise the risk the aggregate activity of hedge funds could cause to financial stability and welcome the principle of EU regulation of the managers. The Directive has the potential to reduce risk posed by fund managers and be beneficial to the single market and the EU economy as a whole. The Committee stress that the requirements on provision of information should be proportionate and carefully thought out to ensure Supervisors are provided with the relevant data. The Committee also criticise the "one size fits all" approach of the Directive. The Directive covers a wide variety of fund managers including hedge funds, private equity and infrastructure funds, and its detailed requirements must differentiate between types of managers to avoid unwanted outcomes that could restrict the operation of fund managers unnecessarily.