Showing results by author "D. K. Holmberg" in All Categories

Trapped by Venass. Tormented by the Forgotten. And both desire the very ability that allowed his escape. Chased through the city by someone able to influence his Sliding, Rsiran and his friends prepare for the next attack, uncertain whether the Forgotten or Venass will move first. When Rsiran learns that his sister was abducted, he must decide whether to help a family that abandoned him. If he does not, Alyse might suffer a fate worse than any torment he has already endured.

A captured thief holds the key to the kingdom. Having learned the truth about the Dragon Thief and saving Zarinth, an impossible decision will bring Ty away from the only home he’s known. When a dangerous priest demands his help finding something the Dragon Thief failed to find, Ty must finish the job even the Dragon Thief had failed to complete, but must stay ahead of Roson James and the Dragon Touched. The prize will secure the Dragon Thief’s freedom, but there’s even more at stake than Ty can imagine.

Chenir has allied with the kingdoms. The great serpent has bonded to the lisincend. And the ancient draasin, Asboel, lies injured. Tan enters the Fire Fortress seeking an alliance with the lisincend. Doing so requires him to attempt a shaping he isn't certain he can control, and this time without his draasin for help. The Par-shon attack has reached the mainland, pushing through Chenir, as the final battle with the unstoppable Utu Tonah approaches. Survival hinges on old friends and a new connection, but can Tan control enough power to defeat him?

The Shadow Queen begins her attack. Can the Council learn their purpose in time? The four members of the Council begin to work together as they search for the fifth. Finding that person might be the only way to stop the Shadow Queen. They’ll need all the help they can get, but the remaining Elders have disappeared, leaving only those they’ve chosen to replace them. As the Shadow Queen’s nearly unstoppable attackers begin to move, the four new members of the Council are all that stand between her gaining the power she’s sought for centuries. Each of them has a role to play, but the ...

Rsiran now understands that he can use not only the arcane power of lorcith, but also that of heartstone. This ability makes him powerful, perhaps too powerful for some. Others know of his ability and seek to use him. After Brusus is attacked, Rsiran makes a decision that requires an unlikely ally, and brings him to dangerous Thyr, where the Scholars of Venass offer their aid, but for a price. But the scholars want Rsiran for the same reason as the Forgotten.

The arrival of the mysterious Magi, along with their near invincible guardians, signals a change. For Jakob, apprentice historian, and son of a priest longing for adventure, it begins an opportunity. When his home is attacked, Jakob starts a journey that will take him far from home and everything he has ever known. Studying with a new swordmaster, he gains surprising skill, but also strange new abilities that make him fear the madness which has claimed so many has come to him.

No longer alone, Sam and Alec struggle to find time to continue their studies together. Sam knows that she is more than the lowborn she'd long believed, now living and training in the palace, but still doesn't feel as if she quite fits in. Worse, it seems as if Alec has moved on without her, preferring his new life in the university. Alec has quickly risen in rank, but that only draws attention to him. Learning from master physickers has its benefits, but there are dangers and he's not certain whether he can trust the new friends he's made.

As apprentice to the master executioner, Finn struggles to understand his place in the city as he searches for truth in those sentenced. The job is more complicated than he had ever imagined. He’s proven his understanding of the basics, but for him to serve as an executioner - if that’s what he wants - he needs mastery. Distracted by his search for a way to heal his still ailing mother despite the hegen magic, he finds himself at odds with the master executioner.

Ty stopped the danger to the kingdom but a new danger emerges. While trying to understand his Tecal connection to the smoke dragon, Ty knows Lothinal have not abandoned their plans. Roson James has been stopped but not defeated, and now the Dragon Touched are compromised. The key to protecting the kingdom is mastering his dragon connections, but the smoke dragon remains elusive and Ishantil is simply too powerful. Finding understanding means chasing the Flame—and the possibility that he might be more than a Tecal. Ty must succeed or Lothinal will destroy not only the kingdom, but the ...

The A'ras of Nyaesh have a terrifying reputation: skilled swordsmen, owners of powerful magic, and ruthless killers. When they kill her parents, Carth discovers her parents had trained her for magic she never knew she possessed. She must use the skills they taught to stay alive, discover a way to find answers, and avenge them if she can. Only the discovery of a greater threat than the A'ras forces her to risk herself, for new friends and a home she never wanted.

Some are born to power. Others must find it within themselves. Ages ago, powerful beings known only as the Elders left their mark on the world, gifting powerful stones to their followers. Through these stones, some have been gifted by birth with great abilities, while others search for them as a way to access that power. Scattered around the known lands, wars have been fought for them, and won by them. On the outskirts of the city, living within an ancient stronghold, Haern longs for a life beyond what he knows—and away from the long shadow cast by his father. When an attack on the city ...

Roelle leads the Magi north to discover the secrets of the northern warriors known as the Antrilii. What she discovers forces her to question the role the Magi play in the world as she begins to realize how far they have drifted from their Founders. Rumors out of the north are much worse than she could ever imagine, and her mage warriors might be key to stopping a threat the world hasn't seen in 1,000 years.

The story of the gods is incomplete. New gods have arisen, but the old gods will not be easily displaced. Lan needs to understand the god-touched power that flows through him, but cannot control. A new danger proves more deadly than he can withstand, and he fears a resurgence of the deadly Shavln power. Sophie has become a powerful sorcerer, and now serves both the Raven Queen and Dannith, but struggles to find her balance while searching for a greater understanding of her magic. She’s no longer reliant on the patterns, but that only proves how little she understands. Their fates remain ...

When Carthenne Rel first came to Nyaesh, she feared the A'ras. Now she trains with them, struggling to use the magic they teach, and cut off from the shadow blessing within her. Isolated for her differences, she has only a few friends among the other students. When the strange and powerful Master Invar offers to teach her to access the powers warring within her, Carth is isolated even more.

War is coming to the kingdoms. Tan now knows that a threat greater than Incendin exists, one he suspects will require ancient enemies to forge an uneasy alliance. He must use the control he's gained over shaping to rescue a friend, protect the draasin, and convince the kingdoms of the true danger, or everything he knows will be destroyed.

Still trying to master his magic, Fes begins to understand the nature of his power - along with the risks. With a resurrected dragon once more in the world and with the empire believing the worst of the threat is gone, the remaining Deshazl must stop the Damhur incursion into the empire. When a rescue of captured Deshazl goes wrong, Fes finds that his knowledge of his Deshazl abilities might not be enough. Having lived most of his life caring only for himself, he’s now a part of something greater.

Legends claim the gods watch over their people, protecting the faithful. That’s only part of the story. Lan spends his days serving the Taihg—and the Raven Queen—searching for the dangerous magic users that nearly destroyed him. He’s come close to answers, but has not yet found what he’s looking for. The borders have been strangely quiet. While Sophie studies sorcery and has grown skilled, she longs for a greater challenge. When the Raven Queen tasks her with a strange assignment, Sophie thinks it’s her chance to finally earn the Raven Queen’s trust so that she can study ...

While trying to track down her brother, Sam discovers she isn't through with Marin quite yet. An attack proves that a traitor sympathetic to Marin remains active in the city, but training prevents Sam from finding answers. With the Thelns once more in the city, Elaine doesn't believe Sam should be involved in the search, which means she has to go off on her own. Doing so risks her position at the palace, but any other choice puts her brother in danger.

What stories will be told when a new god appears? With the Dread still pressing the attack, Sophie and Lan must defend against his minions. After surviving yet another attack, Lan decides he can no longer wait to see what else the Dread might do. He needs to understand his power—the same power the Dread connects to. But when the answers are tied to a dangerous entity known only as the Emerald Exile, Lan fears what he might find. Sophie serves a new role in the realm, but it’s a role that lacks the same excitement she’s grown accustomed to finding. A discovery about the Karell leads to...

The empire remains in chaos following the last attack. Fes searches to connect to the newly raised dragon, wanting to find him before the Damhur attack again, but when he finally returns to the capital, he’s too late. War has returned to the empire in full. With dragons controlled by the Damhur attacking along the coast, the fire mages and Dragon Guard outmanned, Fes urgently needs to find a way to save the dragons - and help the empire. The search brings him to a foreign land where he uncovers ancient secrets in his quest.