Vengeance Moon

A cursed company of men - They are called the Wild Hunt: An immortal corps of thirteen men - knights, princes, and commoners - from various places, times, and stations of life. Cursed by a trio of goddesses for their murderous deeds of their past mortal lives, they are bound together in condemnation to eternal sleep... except when called back to earthly realms by sacred rite for a quest to avenge or destroy. When summoned, the Wild Hunt has until the next full moon to fulfill its mission; failure means final agonizing death in flame. Yet a slim ray of hope shines for each of these doomed men. If any one of them finds a love great and pure, his curse will be lifted. An impossible challenge - On a moonlit night amid the rubble of a ruined temple, the Wild Hunt appears to the beautiful Lady Richenza, who has summoned them to avenge her brother's wrongful death. Their task is to destroy the house of the reigning monarch and all its members, including its weak-willed king, power-mad prince, and lust-driven queen. Aided by divine mystical power, the Huntsmen must ensnare the royal family in a web of deceit, death and destruction. And their plot must succeed - for the men of the Wild Hunt know all too well the price of failure. (from the back cover of the Avon Books first edition)