BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, LIGHT AND SHADOW Rome has collapsed. Dark Forces eye the imperial remnants like birds of prey, ready to devour its carcass and any secrets hidden therein. Among these, Arawn, ancient Celtic god of the afterlife, holds Erik of Birkenshire in his ruthless, etheric grip. As Erik dangles on the edge of undeath, facing an eternity as Arawn's bloody enforcer, his only hope of salvations is an ancient weapon-a blade of such darkness as to pierce the Gray God's shadowed hand and drive back his minions before they can swarm the living world. To find this artifact, Erik must cross the dregs of once-great civilizations, a wasteland of wondrous enigma, rife with legend, where he must face terrifying new enemies that will test both his courage and his faith . . . and uncover staunch new allies in unexpected places. The epic sequel to Annwyn's Blood, the acclaimed first installment of The Paladin of Shadow Chronicles, Ash and Ruin follows Erik as he is forced to confront monsters-both without and within as he struggles to reclaim his own humanity before everything he loves is lost.