More than thirty years ago, Katherine Kurtz changed the face of fantasy with the Deryni Chronicles. In 2005, Ace published a newly revised and expanded Deryni Checkmate in hardcover. Now, that edition is available in mass market for the first time.

The number of Deryni was small, for they had been hounded for generations and kept their identities secret. Those who managed to retain their arcane powers concealed their background--for bitter persecution once again swept the land of Gwynedd, inspired by a raving fanatic sworn to destroy all Deryni in a final bloodbath.

With Kelson Haldane, the first king of magical Deryni heritage to sit upon the throne of Gwynedd in centuries, the priesthood of the Eleven Kingdoms, old enemies of the Deryni, will do anything to regain control of the kingdom, even if it means inciting civil war, in a revised and expanded edition of the fantasy classic.

The classic novel that introduced the Deryni and launched Katherine Kurtz's career. In the land of Gwynedd, the Haldanes have long ruled and have long kept a dangerous secret: there are those of their blood who possess the magical powers of the Deryni. To be Deryni in a land ruled by the all-powerful Church is to be branded an outcast. But now, young Prince Kelson is about to assume the throne after the mysterious death of his father. He must be told of his magical heritage. For his legacy is being challenged by a woman who does not hesitate to lay full claim to her Deryni powers. And to face her in magical combat, Kelson must learn a lifetime’s worth of magic in a few short days. If he loses, he dies as his father did. And if he wins, he is King—but all the world will know that he is also Deryni…

In the conclusion of the Deryni series, political power meets its match in the power of magic as the time approaches for the king's wedding.

New York Times bestselling author of In the King's Service Alaric Morgan has been pledged to the king's service. His Deryni blood makes him ideal to safeguard the Haldane kings and ensure that Prince Brion shall have the protection of his hereditary magic.