Lords Of Grass And Thunder

In the Seven Brothers trilogy, readers were introduced to a rich tapestry of places, cultures, and characters. One of the pivotal characters was young Prince Tayyichiut, heir to the khan of the powerful Qubal clans, a nomadic, Mongol-like race. Though Prince Tayy began as an untried warrior, as Lords of Grass and Thunder opens, he is returning home an adored hero from a war between the gods and demons.
But what awaits Prince Tayy upon his return is a situation fully as dangerous as anything he has faced in battle. With his own father and mother slain by a treacherous demon who manifests as both a deadly, poisonous green bamboo snake and a beautiful woman, his uncle Mergen-Khan now rules over the Qubal people. But he has named Tayy as heir and sees himself as a custodian, holding the position only until his nephew is fully prepared to assume the leadership of the clans.
Yet there are some determined to see that Tayy never claims his rightful place, those with the powers of dark magic who have marked the prince for death and will use any means to achieve this end.
Mergen's own blanket son, the warrior Qutula, will prove easy prey for the mysterious seductress who can offer him all he desires if he is willing to pay the price she demands. And that price is Prince Tayy's life.
But there are those equally determined to keep Tayy from harm - his own loyal guardsmen, Mergen-Khan, Tayy's grandmother, Lady Bortu, and the powerful shaman, Bolghai.
And there is one unexpected champion of the prince, the young maiden named Eluneke, an apprentice shaman and the unacknowledged daughter of Mergen-Khan. Eluneke seems to have been touched by the gods, gifted with powers of prophecy and other, as yet untapped, talents. If Eluneke can survive the tests which the gods will set for her then she may well prove Tayy's best - perhaps his only - hope to avoid the death which seems to be his destiny. But time is running out as swiftly as a green serpent's deadly strike.