Stories of the "Shadow for Hire" Universe
Wages of Death (book 1)
Everything has its price…even death.
For Leopold and his friends, a group known as The Shadow, assassination, theft, and espionage are nothing personal: they are just part of the job. Their skills go to the highest bidder no matter the assignment, making The Shadow the most notorious collection of criminals in the realm.
As long as the money is good, they never ask questions. However, as the jobs get personal, Leopold’s walls against his reservations begin to buckle. “Anything for the money” is The Shadow’s motto and their leader’s favorite saying, but how long can money continue to pay off their consciences?
Join the Shadow in an episodic journey of danger and adventure as they struggle between money and morality, asking the question: Is it worth gaining the world at the cost of your soul?
Out of the Shadows (book 2)
The truth shall set you free.
So the old adage goes, but The Shadow knows that some truth may be incriminating (debilitating?). Thanks to their friendship with the Lady Maria, a new chapter in their life has blossomed, taking them in a fresh direction from their career of crime. But while newfound friendships have begun to pull them from the shadows, they have not absolved them of their previous crimes. In the eyes of many, they are quickly turning into heroes, but in the eyes of the law, once a criminal, always a criminal.
Compounding the issue, one of their number is not so keen on the new path their lives have taken. Ever looking for the profit in actions, Daniel is quick to point out that being a hero doesn’t pay as much as their previous life. Besides, it is only a matter of time until Lady Maria, Baron Dietrich, and the rest of their allies discover their dark secret, and then the cost will be high indeed. As internal and external forces thrust wedges into The Shadow and tear its members apart, the ever-present question remains: How many good deeds must a man do to atone for a life of sin?
In the Service of the King (book 3)
Evil prospers when good men do nothing.
Daniel is back, and he’s after the king’s head. Maria is all that stands between the wizard and his prey. Midas yearns to protect the innocent, but The Shadow was banished on pain of death, and going up against Daniel would cost him everything. He needs Leopold and Raven to stand a chance of stopping the wizard, but he hasn’t seen them in two years.
In the wake of Daniel’s treachery, The Shadow scattered. Leopold found the perfect place to hide from the world, a snowy retreat cold enough to numb the wounds inflicted by those closest to him. Raven’s shame at her part in the betrayal drove her to disappear, unable to face her friends.
The Shadow must find a way to reconcile their differences. United is the only way to make one final stand. If they must die, they would do so in the service of the king.
Coming 2025!
