Deathmask — Chris A. Jackson

The most terrible Necromancer the world has ever known, has finally succumbed to the call of his own trade. Or has he? For he left behind a work of art, a beautiful mask, that lies waiting for the touch of a living hand. The Reaper of Souls has been cheated, for Azrael has hidden his soul where it cannot be found, where his one hope of immortality lies, where the touch of a living hand can bring him new life. The soul of Azrael resides within an enchanted mask, imbued with the power to contain the necromancer's soul forever and allow him to corrupt any who are seduced into donning the Deathmask. And when they do, he will live again, and the world will suffer anew. But the necromancer has slept in his senseless tomb for more than a thousand years, and the world has changed; countries war over the land and vie for any advantage to overthrow the other, even an ancient relic that contains the soul of a necromancer. But when the seduction of power unleashes Azrael upon the living world, his conquest will not go unopposed. A tenuous union between the two warring nations may be the only hope for the living, for all who draw breath are the necromancer's enemies. But how can an army win against the Necromancer, when every soldier that falls? Love is the only weapon.