Once a skilled barber-surgeon, Elisha, after discovering his exceptional potential for a singularly deadly magic, must now work on his king's behalf to stop a shadowy cabal of necromancers who have already corrupted priests and princes from unleashing an even grander, darker plan.

E.C. Ambrose's gritty, sharp historical fantasy series, The Dark Apostle, follows Elisha Barber through a magical reimagining of 14th-century England Elisha was a skillful barber-surgeon, cutting hair and stitching wounds for poor peasants like himself in 14th century London. But that was before catastrophe ruined his family. Before he was falsely accused of murder, and sent to die in an unjust war. Before he discovered his exceptional potential for a singularly deadly magic, and was forced to embrace his gifts and end that war...by using his newfound abilities to kill the tyrannical king. Elisha is no longer the lowly barber he was, but it is hard to tell exactly who he is now. The beautiful witch Brigit, his former mentor, claims him for the magi, all those who have grasped the secrets of affinity and knowledge to manipulate mind and matter, and who are persecuted for it. Duke Randall, the man who first rose against the mad King Hugh, has accepted him as a comrade and ally in the perilous schemes of the nobility. Somehow, he has even become a friend to Thomas, both the rightful king and, something rarer, a good man. But he is still a regicide, and in order to solidify Thomas’s authority among the restive barons, he had to let the new king sentence him to a horrific public execution. With Thomas’s covert aid, Elisha faked his death and went into hiding, but the peasants of London are beginning to call it a martyrdom, as legends of Elisha’s spectacular “miracles” in the service of his country have spread. Yet Elisha is finally beginning to understand the dreadful power within him, and he has never felt less holy—or more terrified. Because there is another force at work in the world, a shadowy cabal beyond the might of kings and nobles, that sees its opportunity in the chaos of war and political turmoil—and sees its mirror in Elisha’s indivisible connection with Death. For these necromancers, Elisha is the ultimate prize, and the perfect tool. When the necromancers’ secret plans begin to bear black fruit, England teeters on the brink of a hellish anarchy that could make the previous war look like a pleasant memory, and it appears Elisha is the only man who can stop it. But if he steps forward and takes on the authority he is offered to save his nation once again, is he playing right into the mancers’ hands? Why does it seem like his enemies are the ones most keen to call him Elisha Rex?

E.C. Ambrose's gritty, sharp historical fantasy series, The Dark Apostle, follows Elisha Barber through a magical reimagining of 14th-century England Elisha, a barber-surgeon from the poorest streets of benighted fourteenth-century London, has come a long way from home. He was always skilled at his work, but skill alone could not protect him on the day that disaster left his family ruined and Elisha himself accused of murder. With no other options, Elisha accepted a devil's bargain from Lucius, a haughty physician, to avoid death by hanging--by serving under the sadistic doctor as a battle surgeon of the king's army, at the front lines of an unjust war. Elisha worked night and day, both tending to the wounded soldiers and protecting them from the physician's experiments. Even so, he soon found that he had a talent for a surprising and deadly sort of magic, and was drawn into the clandestine world of sorcery by the enchanting young witch Brigit--who had baffling ties to his past, and ambitious plans for his future. Yet even Brigit did not understand the terrible power Elisha could wield, until the day he was forced to embrace it and end the war...by killing the king. Now, Elisha has become a wanted man--not only by those who hate and fear him, but by those who'd seek to woo his support. Because, hidden behind the politics of court and castle, it is magic that offers power in its purest form. And the players in that deeper game are stranger and more terrifying than Elisha could ever have dreamed. There are the magi, those who have grasped the secrets of affinity and knowledge to manipulate mind and matter, always working behind the scenes. There are the indivisi, thought mad by the rest of the magical world: those so devoted to their subject of study that they have become "indivisible" from it, and whose influence in their realm is wondrous beyond even the imaginations of "normal" magi. And then there are--there may be--the necromancers, whose methods, motives, and very existence remain mysterious. Where rumors of their passing go, death follows. But death follows Elisha, too.

Both as a biblical prophet and a folklore hero, Elijah is one of the most popular and beloved figures in Jewish literature. In these intriguing tales, we see Elijah as the master of miracles, employing numerous disguises to fulfill his mission: to offer guidance and hope, reward goodness and punish wrongdoing, rescue Jewish communities and individuals, and signal the coming of the Messiah.

The biblical Elijah was a loner, declaring or complaining again and again: I alone remain. Yet gradually, he was welcomed into Jewish ritual life, including some of the family's most meaningful moments. These moments he continues to enrich with his imagined presence. He is anticipated at each Passover seder, the most familial event in the Jewish calendar. When a baby boy is circumcised, Elijah is invited to preside and witness, occupying a ceremonial chair. And every Saturday night, as the Sabbath departs, his name is invoked as part of Havdalah. Each of these is a rite of passage. The seder celebrates liberation from slavery, meant to be experienced anew. Through circumcision, the infant enters the covenant of Abraham. Havdalah distinguishes between light and dark, marking the transition from Sabbath holiness to the mundane weekday world. All three rituals are liminal (threshold) moments, fittingly enhanced by Elijah, the liminal personality-part human, part angel-the mysterious stranger who spans heaven and earth, virtuoso of the in-between. Book jacket.