The Virgin of Valkarion

Alfric of Aslak rides into Valkarion looking for work for his sword, and before he reaches the gate, Temple slaves try to kill him with poisoned darts. Valkarion is the last withered remnant of a once-mighty empire, perched above a dead sea-bottom, and tonight its two moons will mate. The priests of the Moons have a prophecy about a heathen conqueror, and they have decided it means Alfric.

The tavern the guards send him to is a trap, and the lovely woman waiting in his room is no ordinary tavern girl. Before dawn the old Emperor is dead, the Temple is reaching for the throne, and a wandering barbarian with no friends in the city stands in the middle of a holy war.