She glanced at the epaulets again, a bitter taste in her mouth.
“The country will need you. Tamas’s death has left a gap.”
“One I can’t hope to fill.”
“Just concentrate on the tasks at hand,” Taniel said.
Vlora responded, “Beon je Ipille has gone into hiding and there are rumblings of a Kez civil war. General Hilanska still needs to be brought to justice. Bo wants to combine Privileged and powder mages in the new republic cabal, and Gavril wants to make sweeping reforms to the Mountainwatch. There is… a lot to do.”
Vlora had expected a more emotional response from Taniel at the mention of Hilanska, but he just nodded and reached over to touch the gold epaulets she’d left on the desk.
“Tamas would be proud.”
Vlora looked down at her uniform, at the variety of accolades that she wanted every day to rip off the front. “You sure?”
“I am. Will you sell the house?”
Vlora blinked at him. “What do you mean?”
“I read about the will in the newspaper. With me dead, Tamas left everything to you and Bo,” Taniel said, touching the door frame with two fingers. “I’d sell it, personally. Too many memories.”
“Pit, no. I’m moving into it.”
Taniel seemed surprised, but after a few moments he smiled again. “That makes me glad, for some reason. We had a good time here, didn’t we?”
“We did.” They stood quietly for several moments before Vlora said, “Forgive me?”
“Only if you forgive me.”
“I already have.”
They hugged, and Vlora felt Taniel’s lips pressed to her forehead. She felt dampness in her hair, and when they separated, Taniel wiped tears from his eyes.
Vlora took his hand. “Good luck. Take care of yourself.”
“You too.”
He left her in the quiet of her new home.
She remembered a night not long after Tamas had taken her in, when she’d had nightmares. Tamas had come to her room and put her back in bed. He had kissed her on the forehead, which no one had ever done for her before, and told her that nothing would ever harm her or Taniel while he lived.
Even with the blood and slaughter and death, she hadn’t had a nightmare since.
“Were you talking to someone?” Olem asked, entering the office.
Who would keep the nightmares away now, she wondered, but even as she did so, she could hear Tamas’s voice in her head. You will, he seemed to say.
“No one,” she answered Olem. “Just shadows of the past.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you so much to my editor, Devi Pillai, for the patience and foresight to help me get through my first series of books. She doesn’t get nearly as much credit as she should for being the best at what she does. Also thanks to my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, for talking me down from the ledge on multiple occasions during the writing of this series.
My wife, Michele, was there for me along every step of the way, from tossing around ideas for the magic and characters, to going over my copyedits before I sent them back. She’s the greatest, and shouldn’t let anyone tell her otherwise.
Thanks to Howard Taylor, Justin Landon, and David Wohlreich for looking over and discussing early drafts of the book with me. Friends like that are invaluable.
Thanks to my parents, who listen to me prattle on at great length about the tiny details of my job so that my wife doesn’t have to listen to it too much. Also thanks for their unending support and love for my writing. Similar thanks goes to all my friends and family, who come to my signings and listen to me yap.
Finally, the utmost appreciation goes to Gene Mollica, Michael Frost, and Lauren Panepinto for their work on the amazing covers for all three books in the trilogy, and to James Long, Alex Lencicki, Ellen Wright, Laura Fitzgerald, Lindsey Hall, and all the rest of the staff at Orbit and Orbit UK who do all the thankless work to make these books into something awesome.
extras
meet the author
Photo Credit: Emily Bischoff
BRIAN MCCLELLAN is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage novels and essays on the life and business of being a writer. Brian now lives in Utah with his wife, Michele.
By Brian McClellan
THE POWDER MAGE TRILGOY
Promise of Blood
The Crimson Campaign
The Autumn Republic
GODS OF BLOOD AND POWDER
Sins of Empire
Wrath of Empire
Praise for The Powder Mage Trilogy
Promise of Blood
“This book is just plain awesome. I found myself enjoying every moment of it. Innovative magic, quick-paced plot, interesting world. I had a blast.”
—New York Times bestselling author, Brandon Sanderson
“Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I’ve read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing.”
—New York Times bestselling author, Brent Weeks
“McClellan neatly mixes intrigue and action… in a society where new forces like labor unions, gunpowder-armed soldiers, and explosion-causing ‘powder mages’ clash with traditional magics, more, and beliefs.”
—Publishers Weekly
“McClellan’s debut packs some serious heat…. A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments.”
—Kirkus (starred review)
“Gunpowder and magic. An explosive combination. Promise of Blood is the best debut I’ve read in ages.”
—Peter V. Brett, author of The Warded Man
“I love the world Brian McClellan builds: Powder Mages with flintlock pistols against white-gloved Privileged for the fate of a nation and more. Promise of Blood feels like the start of something amazing.”
—Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaign series
“McClellan’s debut is a lot of fun—a historically influenced fantastical romp filled with machismo, intrigue and magic.”
—SciFiNow
“The world of the privileged sorcerers and the strange abilities of the powder mages who can manipulate gunpowder are just as well drawn in this captivating universe.”
—RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars)
“Brian McClellan is an explosive powder keg of imagination with an expertly-plotted fuse. The stories he tells are the stories we'll be reading for years to come.”
—Sam Sykes, author of The City Stained Red
The Crimson Campaign
“This swirling sequel to Promise of Blood draws the reader deep into political intrigue and military matters in a gun-powder-sprinkled fantasy world.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Impressively distinctive and pungent, with solid plotting and exceptional action sequences.”
—Kirkus
The Autumn Republic
“Sharp and moving…. McClellan’s work will please fantasy readers with a historical bent and a taste for the bittersweet.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[F]ully realized characters contend with a stunning tangle of plots, counterplots, perfidies and conundrums against a highly textured backdrop…. A slam-bang conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.”
—Kirkus
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The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, The Autumn Republic Page 161