Dear Readers,
This year, instead of stepping away entirely during the summer months as we usually do, we slowed our posting pace and stayed with the story a little longer. Now, as summer turns toward its final stretch, we’re taking a brief pause, a kind of midseason hiatus, if you will.
And… there is a reason. Drumroll?
Something exciting is stirring behind the scenes, and it is drawing us deeper into this world than ever before. What began as an idea last summer has grown into something larger, richer, and far more demanding than we could have imagined. We’re going to use this short break to give it the attention it deserves, and, of course, when the time is right, we’ll share more.
The story will return after this brief hiatus. Naturally, we made sure to leave our heroes facing new dangers, difficult choices, and more than a few shadows gathering on the horizon. After all, what is a midseason finale without a proper cliffhanger?
In Normandy, dramatic in both geography and history, and infamous for smuggling, secrets, and political intrigue, trouble gathers around missing Spanish galleons, hidden gold, fugitive kings, smugglers, mysterious strangers, and the wife of the King’s spymaster. Meanwhile, Layla and Rohan are about to venture into Spain, where much of this intrigue first began… and where more than danger waits.
In Paris, Rochefort makes some of his boldest moves yet. He replaces a trusted priest in the confessional, startling Marie as he demands that she recount her sins against him. He pays an unwelcome visit to Alessandra in her new home, bringing with him a remembrance from her past and an astonishing proposal. In a quiet garden, Raoul is shaken by a discovery he never expected. Elsewhere, enemies sharpen their plans for revenge.
And as d’Artagnan, Aramis, Porthos, Athos, and Lucien walk together to a council meeting, they come face to face with Rochefort himself.
He greets them with unsettling familiarity, his voice smooth with malice, inviting them to walk with him, reminding them that, after all…
They are family.
All for One and One for All!
Twelve Years After 