Rick Shelley (January 1, 1947 - January 27, 2001) was a military science fiction author. In addition to a plethora of short fiction, he also wrote the Dirigent Mercenary Corps, Spec Ops Squad, Federation War, 13 Spaceborn, Seven Towers, and Varayan Memoir series.

One sorcerer rises against evil-with the powers of a goddess within him. Second in the Seven Towers series from the author of The Wizard at Mecq.
The ruins of Mecq still smolder in the English countryside, and in the ashes, the wizard Silvas mourns the loss of his goddess, Carillia. With her final breath, Carillia raises Silvas into the ranks of the divine.
But divinity brings its own risks. Silvas finds that once he stands among gods, he must contend with an ancient evil more powerful than any he has ever known. The forces arrayed against him harbor old grudges that he cannot assuage.
Faced with the fight of his life, Silvas is about to learn that deities have long memories. And as he well knows, even gods can die ...