Rise of the Elder Read online

  “But I have one.”

  “It wasn’t destroyed in the blasts?”

  “Oh, that smithy was destroyed, but that isn’t what I mean. The forge in the Aisl will be my home. I intend to continue serving as guildlord, and with that, I can connect to our clans better. Besides, I think I need to be there.”

  Rsiran wasn’t sure that he could remain in the city after what he’d lost here. He could always visit, but would he ever feel safe?

  “I… I can’t believe it,” his father said.

  “Treat her well. Work hard.” Rsiran smiled. “You have a demanding guildlord, you know.”

  His father nodded, “I know. But a great one as well.”

  Rsiran Slid, leaving his father in the smithy.

  He emerged in the Barth. It had also somehow survived. The old buildings nearest the shore might be among the oldest in the city, but they were among the stoutest as well. Brusus and Alyse sat talking quietly, the tavern otherwise slow. Both looked over as he emerged.

  “Rsiran,” Alyse said warmly. “You look well.”

  Rsiran smiled, glancing from Brusus to Alyse. “And you?”

  “Besides Brusus playing with his new abilities?” she asked.

  “They’ve come?” he asked.

  Brusus laughed. “I don’t understand it, but after the attack… I’ve always been a decent Reader, but this is something else. I feel a connection in ways I can’t understand. Sort of like I know when I need to find those I care for.” He shrugged. “And I haven’t tested it nearly as much as your sister would have you believe. What of Jessa?”

  “She… Sees… now. Not well, but it’s coming. Each day is stronger. That’s part of why I’m here.”

  “And the other?” Alyse asked.

  “Father is in his smithy,” he told her. “I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

  “You… you gave it back to him?”

  “It wasn’t really mine to give.” That wasn’t entirely true. As guildlord, he could make assignments, but it felt right. He turned to Brusus. There’s something more I need to do, and I’d like you to come with me.”

  “What is it?”

  Rsiran let out a deep breath. “Something for Haern.”

  Brusus nodded. “When?”

  “How about now?”

  He glanced to Alyse, and she patted him on the hand. Brusus kissed her on the cheek and then stood, grabbing Rsiran’s arm.

  They Slid, emerging on the rocks outside of Thyr. The Tower of Venass rose like a dark finger against the sky, a painful reminder of what they had been through. Shadows parted around the tower, reminding him of Carth. A part of him wondered what had become of her, and what she had done with his grandfather, but for the most part, he didn’t care. The man was gone.

  “Why here?”

  Rsiran stared at the tower. “Haern tried escaping the tower and failed. I think it’s time that we honor his memory.”

  “In what way?”

  Rsiran had thought about what needed to be done to fully recover from what Venass had done to those he cared about. He still hadn’t found the forgers, likely smiths with abilities no different from his. He suspected they were in the tower, but even if they weren’t, he intended to search until he found them.

  “By destroying the tower.”

  Brusus started to laugh, until he realized that Rsiran was serious. “How do you expect to destroy the tower? And why do you need me?”

  “You’re here to watch, and celebrate. I’ll do the destroying.” He hesitated. There was another reason he wanted time with Brusus. “The council will allow the Forgotten to return, Brusus. It won’t happen quickly, but it will happen.”

  Brusus swallowed and nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Now. For the reason we’re here.” Rsiran unsheathed the sword that connected him to the Elder Trees. Now he understood that anything he forged in the Aisl smithy did the same, which was more reason for him to remain in the forest, not only for the crystals and the safety.

  Drawing on the power of the Elder Trees, he pulled.

  Venass had too much lorcith, and too much heartstone, to resist.

  The tower began to buckle, and with a loud explosion, it fell, crumbling into ruins and leaving a cloud of dust that rose into the otherwise clear sky.

  Rsiran sheathed his sword. Neither of them spoke.

  After a while, Brusus chuckled. “You’re right. Haern would have loved that.”

  “Venass is gone, Brusus.”

  “For the most part.”

  “There’s a part of me that doesn’t know what to do. I went from hiding my abilities, to battling the Forgotten and then Venass, and now to a place where I’m expected to have responsibilities.”

  Brusus smiled. “You’ve come a long way, Rsiran. None of us would be where we are without you.”

  “What do I do now?”

  Brusus clapped him on the shoulder, and his eyes blazed a bright green, no longer hidden as they once had been. “Now? Now we are finally free to live as the Great Watcher intends.”

  Rsiran stared at the ruins of Venass a moment longer, and then he took Brusus’s arm and they Slid.

  I’m excited to share with you book 1 of a new series, The Lost Prophecy: The Threat of Madness, available now!

  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 ventures out with the his master, traveling alongside the Magi, beginning a journey that will take him far from home and everything he has ever known. As he travels, he gains surprising skill with the sword but begins to develop strange abilities, along with a growing fear that the madness which has claimed so many has come for him.

  With a strange darkness rising in the north, and powers long thought lost beginning to return, the key to survival is discovering the answer to a lost prophecy. Only a few remain with the ability to find it, and they begin to suspect that Jakob has a pivotal role to play.

  Want to learn about Galen during the events of Rise of the Elder? Check out Assassin’s End, book 3 of The Sighted Assassin:

  After returning to Elaeavn from his exile, Galen is caught up in a fight he wants nothing to do with. When Lorst offers him a job that requires he leave the city, he gladly accepts as there’s no role for an assassin in his homeland.

  The assignment brings him back into danger, and forces him to reconnect with a woman he’d left behind long ago, leaving him with mixed emotions and Cael with jealousy. Completing the job is only the beginning, and forces a discovery that even those who hired him hadn’t expected.

  If he fails, the dangerous Hjan will gain the power of the crystal, but succeeding means that he’s brought deeper into something even his skills haven’t equipped him to face. Galen must use friends old and new to survive, but even that might not be enough to stop the Hjan.

  Want to read more about Carth? Check out her beginning in Book 1 of The Shadow Accords trilogy: Shadow Blessed

  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 father has trained her for shadow magic she never knew she possessed.

  She must use those skills to stay alive, discover a way to find answers, and avenge her parents 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 but now can’t imagine losing.

  Author’s Note

  Thanks for sticking with me for Rsiran’s journey. In my mind, he began as the assassin in a novella I wrote for a writing workshop, now included in The Forgotten. In that initial draft, he was a cold and competent assassin named Rsiran, hired to kill Cael and Galen. I found myself thinking about how he would have reached the point in his life that he did in the novella. I renamed him Lorst to hide his identity, started on the Dark Ability, and if you�
�re reading this, you know the rest! He was a troubled character, wanting nothing more than a family, and I enjoyed helping him find the relationships he desired—and deserved. Through it all, I knew that in the end of the series, I would have to get him back together with Galen, and have enjoyed the twists it took getting there.

  I’ve been asked whether there will be more stories in this world, and though I think Rsiran’s story is complete, there are others I’d eventually like to discover. I love hearing from fans, so let me know if you have any favorites you’d like to explore more. For now, you can read about Rsiran (The Dark Ability series), Galen (The Sighted Assassin), and Carth (The Shadow Accords).

  Galen’s story will finish soon with Assassin’s End, a book with overlap of the events in Rise of the Elder. Everything with Galen has been building up to the point where he needs to decide what he wants for himself, and he needs to decide whether to be the assassin or the hero.

  When I first wrote about Carth, I knew I’d have to visit her backstory. Shadow Blessed is the first of what will probably be 5 or 6 books, detailing her early years and the development of her network. After reading this book, you know how incredible Carth is, but it takes time, training, and experience to get her there. She’s proven to be one of my favorite characters to write.

  Thanks again and keep reading!

  DK Holmberg

  [email protected]

  About the Author

  DK Holmberg currently lives in rural Minnesota where the winter cold and the summer mosquitoes keep him inside and writing.

  Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed and how books are discovered. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review at Amazon, even if it's only a line or two; it would make all the difference and would be very much appreciated.

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  For more information:

  www.dkholmberg.com

  Also by D.K. Holmberg

  The Dark Ability

  The Dark Ability

  The Heartstone Blade

  The Tower of Venass

  Blood of the Watcher

  The Shadowsteel Forge

  The Guild Secret

  Rise of the Elder

  The Sighted Assassin

  The Painted Girl (novella)

  The Binders Game

  The Forgotten

  Assassin’s End

  The Shadow Accords

  Shadow Blessed

  Shadow Cursed

  Shadow Born

  Shadow Lost

  Shadow Cross

  Shadow Found

  The Lost Prophecy

  The Threat of Madness

  The Warrior Mage

  Tower of the Gods

  Twist of the Fibers

  The Lost City

  The Last Conclave

  The Gift of Madness

  The Great Betrayal

  The Teralin Sword

  Soldier Son

  Soldier Sword

  Soldier Sworn

  Soldier Saved

  The Endless War

  Journey of Fire and Night

  Darkness Rising

  Endless Night

  Summoner’s Bond

  The Cloud Warrior Saga

  Chased by Fire

  Bound by Fire

  Changed by Fire

  Fortress of Fire

  Forged in Fire

  Serpent of Fire

  Servant of Fire

  Born of Fire

  Broken of Fire

  Light of Fire

  Cycle of Fire

  Others in the Cloud Warrior Series

  Prelude to Fire

  Chasing the Wind

  Drowned by Water

  Deceived by Water

  Salvaged by Water

  The Lost Garden

  Keeper of the Forest

  The Desolate Bond

  Keeper of Light

  The Painter Mage

  Shifted Agony

  Arcane Mark

  Painter For Hire

  Stolen Compass

  Stone Dragon