Binding Words

Sean’s ordinary night at a bar takes a supernatural turn when a confrontation leads to an otherworldly meeting. After a fight, Sean finds himself facing Odin, Archangel Michael, Lucifer, and Morrigan, who all vie for his soul. He chooses Morrigan, the goddess of Fate, Death, and Battle, accepting her deal. Transported to a new world with a body crafted by the gods and further gifts from the Tuatha De Danann, Sean begins a new life. This isn't a simple fresh start; the world is ruled by the powerful Summer and Winter Queens, and its strict laws dictate that words hold immense power and Agreements are unbreakably binding. Sean must now navigate this dangerous new reality, discovering his purpose and place in a realm where every choice carries significant weight.

In a world where words hold power and Agreements are binding under the rule of the Fey Queens, Sean's life is upended. Fleeing the burning village of Oakwood, pursued relentlessly by the Feline Moonbound, Sean, Fiona Mithrilsoul, and Myna Mooncaller must journey across treacherous wilds. Their escape is fraught with external dangers and profound internal turmoil, especially for Sean.

Sean is already Bonded for ten years to Fiona, the woman he deeply loves. Yet, a desperate act to save Myna from death's door has resulted in a potent Life Bond between them. As they race for survival, Sean wrestles with complicated feelings, fearing the repercussions for his heart and his companions. Their ability to coexist amidst the chaos will determine their fate.

Having embraced the love of Myna Mooncaller and Fiona Mithrilsoul, Sean discovered a happiness he never knew, while adapting to a new, unfamiliar society. Their journey was fraught with peril. First, a bandit attack unexpectedly brought Ryann Cullin into Sean's service. Then, a brutal blizzard nearly claimed their lives, forcing them to take refuge in Flento.

Once the storm passed, they continued their trek to Hearthglen. Sean hoped to settle there, eager to learn more about his own burgeoning abilities and establish a livelihood. This, however, would require him to make a name for himself – a path he always dreaded. While it might gain him allies, the enemies he would inevitably attract could prove to be his ultimate undoing.

Sean, seeking to learn and grow in Hearthglen, settled with his Bonded, taking on an apprentice and opening his shop. He bonded Chastity and Andrea, ready to explore this new world. Ignoring conventions, Sean forged unlikely friendships between smiths and Shapers, inadvertently stepping on toes. When opposition emerged, these new alliances found common ground.

However, Sean’s peaceful aspirations were shattered by assassins. Ida was paralyzed, and Ryann killed before his eyes. Enraged, Sean slaughtered his attackers, healed Ida, and shockingly, brought Ryann back from the dead. With guards closing in, Sean faces monumental decisions that could fundamentally alter Hearthglen, and potentially, the entire world.

Flame of War is the fifth instalment of the Binding Words series, and finds Sean's growing guild Forged Bonds thriving enough to attract powerful enemies. Summoned to a party thrown by City Lord Sharpeyes — a gathering thick with traps set specifically for him — Sean must think fast to survive. He defeats the first scheme against him and then steps onto the duelling ground as champion for Fredrick, facing an unexpected pair of opponents: Aria and Cuander, Lord Sharpeyes' prized cuon. Sean wins the duel and, in doing so, saves Aria from death at the hands of Lord Sharpeyes' son, Knight Evan Sharpeyes.

Yet victory in the duel only deepens Sean's troubles. Lord Sharpeyes' long-laid plans begin to unfurl in earnest, setting off a chain of events that push Sean and everyone he cares about to their absolute limits. Allies are tested, enemies multiply, and the precarious peace Sean has built risks being consumed entirely by the flames of open war.

Lost Bonds is the sixth book in the Binding Words series. After cementing the bonds with his friends and family, Sean hopes the peaceful life he has longed for is finally within reach — a new home, new household staff, and time to simply craft and love his wives. Those hopes are swiftly dashed when Denmur and Lord Sharpeyes set a carefully orchestrated chain of events into motion, drawing Sean and his entire family to the Lord's party and guaranteeing that conflict cannot be avoided.

What follows is a bloody and gruelling trial by combat against Evan Sharpeyes, Klein Denmur, a Valkyrie, and an old foe — Velin Dykstra — backing them. Exhausted and drained, Sean still leads his wives onto the field and strikes down Evan Sharpeyes before collapsing. Word of the victory spreads throughout the city of Hearthglen, but as the final sounds fade and his vision dims, no one can say whether Sean survived long enough to enjoy it.

Having survived a brutal battle that claimed Chastity and Lilly, Sean Soul-Bonded the Valkyrie Helga Helsdottir, renaming her Helga Oathsworn. With Helga by his side, he vowed to protect his loved ones, but relentless attacks from his enemies continued, claiming more lives. Finished with merely reacting, Sean decided to take the fight directly to his foes.

A pivotal confrontation saw Helga strike down Denmur's champion, leading to Denmur's death and dozens of others. Despite this, corrupt guards arrested Sean and Helga. In the courtroom, Sean was killed, but his gifts from the Tuatha allowed him to defy death, rising to slay his attackers and the magistrate. Found innocent by a chief magistrate, Sean now uses his Bond with Helga to access the Bog, where his vanquished foes' souls reside. Determined to uncover the true orchestrator of the attacks, he consults the dead, resolute in finding a "Noble Solution."

Accorded Nobility is the eighth book in the Binding Words series. With Magistrate Amerut's assassination attempt now behind him, Sean turns his attention to methodically dismantling those who still stand against him — without simply rushing out to commit murder. He works to protect the people he loves, pushing the rules of his world to their limits through careful crafting and creative use of his Talents. A turning point arrives when he heals the sister of Knight Toivo Bloodheart, opening a new alliance: Dame Hallie Bloodheart proposes marriage to raise Sean to the station of Knight and shield him from Lord Sharpeyes' reach.

With his wives' blessing, Sean first weds Helga, his Chooser, welcoming the former Valkyrie fully into his family. Armed with two new wives and a clear plan, he attends Lord Sharpeyes' party in a high-stakes confrontation that leaves many nobles dead and Lady Sharpeyes in his debt. With Hearthglen finally settled, Sean sets his sights on the great city of Accord, confident that whatever lies ahead, his family has his back.

Reluctant to embrace nobility, Sean finally accepts his new status as a Lord, understanding it's essential to fulfill his promise to Myna and avenge the tragic deaths at Oakwood. Leaving Hearthglen, Sean and his family relocate to Accord, the Queendom's central city, built entirely around a massive, functional tree. Here, they must navigate complex politics and forge alliances. While Sean establishes a healing clinic, hoping to win support, his wife Hallie, aided by Dame Daria Iceblood, works to secure alliances among lesser nobles. Unbeknownst to them, the powerful Lord Truestrike, whom they aim to undermine, is already executing his own ambitious plans. Accord is set to become the battleground for two vying nobles, each determined to bring the other down, all while carefully avoiding the wrath of the mysterious Advisor.

Settled in Accord, Sean and Hallie begin their plan to dismantle Lord Truestrike’s power. While Hallie builds noble alliances, Sean focuses on healing. When Truestrike tries to expel Sean from the healing guild, he fails, with Sean gaining the guild’s overwhelming support. This empowers Sean to thwart Truestrike’s attempts to injure city guards, earning the goodwill of Commander Queensblood.

Later, Sean’s enforcement of a broken Agreement leads him before Advisor Mackenzie Earthfoot. Instead of explaining himself, Sean heals Mackenzie’s foot, creating a powerful debt just before a pivotal gala. At the event, Sean encounters Truestrike, but it’s his daughter, Trisha, who confronts Sean, publicly accusing him of killing Darragh. With new allies and his conflict with Truestrike now public, Sean knows the Queens will soon arrive in Accord, and his time is running out.

Divine Agreements is the eleventh book in the Binding Words series, and centres on Sean's long-awaited reckoning with Lord Truestrike, the man responsible for the destruction of his friends in Oakwood. Allied with the unlikely support of High Lady Minerva Queensblood and Advisor Mackenzie Earthfoot, Sean and his companions dismantle Truestrike's schemes one by one — even befriending his daughter, Dame Trisha Truestrike, and giving her hope of reunion with her lover, Darragh. The duel Sean has sought for so long is finally forced into the open, but Truestrike's treachery surfaces when he summons a Life Bonded dragon to kill Sean mid-fight.

Sean survives the dragon — barely — yet it is ultimately Trisha who ends her father's life to avenge Darragh, only to be struck down in turn by her own spoiled son. With Truestrike's house in ruins, both Winter and Summer Queens are now on their way, putting Sean on a desperate countdown: he must find the Huntsman, open a portal back to Earth, and deal with a vengeful Thor — all before the Queens arrive on less than diplomatic terms.