Kingdom of Bones

by Philip C. Quaintrell

Seeing the giant, known for his unwavering loyalty to Yelifer, Vighon wondered if his father really was as invincible as he boasted.

  “How?” the northman blurted.

  “I had nothing to do with the how,” Arlon replied cheerily. “Sir Borin is the creation of the war-witch herself. Yelifer cobbled the monstrosity together at the end of the civil war. Don’t ask me what he’s made of, though, having seen Yelifer’s work, I would say the better question is who he’s made of. It’s the spell that’s important, the magic that motivates him. You see, Sir Borin was never loyal to Yelifer, he’s loyal to the crown…”

  Vighon’s sinking feeling had turned into nausea. “You don’t have a crown.”

  Arlon adjusted his slicked back hair. “Not yet. A coronation so close to the battle and Yelifer’s death would seem… ill-timed. I am, however, the logical successor due to my title. Even the magic that binds him can see that.”

  Vighon gritted his teeth. “I’m not bowing to you,’ he stated flatly.

  Arlon polished the lion’s head with his thumb, drawing Vighon’s attention to the sword he had stolen. “You will,” he promised, his tone serious now. “Just as you will retrieve the Moonblade. Should you fail, Asher will never leave this cell, I can assure you of that.”

  Without waiting for a reply, King Arlon strode out of the dungeon with his new royal guard. Vighon pressed himself into the bars and watched them leave. Any energy he had recouped from his rest had been sapped by conversing with his father. He sighed and turned back to continue his watch.

  Asher was standing in front of him.

  Vighon opened his mouth but the ranger lunged forward and threw him into the wall, pinning him behind one arm. His bared teeth and startling blue eyes were quite the contrast, but his strength was undeniable.

  Then, he groaned, his firm hold became weak, and he fell to his knees in front of Vighon. His breath was ragged and he clawed at his head until a moment of clarity appeared to strike him.

  Asher looked up with revelation, his voice gruff. “I know how to win the war…”

  Author Notes

  Welcome to the halfway point! Not only is Kingdom of Bones the middle book in this trilogy, but it’s also the halfway point in the entire saga (providing the last series is 3 books as I’ve planned).

  Writing the middle of any story, be it a trilogy or a 9 book saga, can be tricky. As the creator, you can get very excited about the explosion of events in the beginning that set everything off, and the culmination of everything at the end of the last book. The middle has the potential to be a bit of a slog.

  Well, I’m happy to say I’ve loved writing this book and especially this trilogy! I’ve enjoyed blending old and new characters, weaving them all into a tale fit for the saga. My initial fear was the balancing act required to give old and new their fair share of the story, but I feel the characters managed to blend themselves together without the puppeteering hands of the author.

  For those of you who bought earlier versions of The Fall of Neverdark, you will know that this book was originally advertised as ‘Age of Ruin’. I was about halfway through writing this book when the third book began to really take shape in my mind and I knew exactly what was to come. With this in mind, the titles began to jar with me.

  Being a self-publisher, I have the power to make these kind of changes without a lot of red tape. If you’ve come this far, you know now that book 3 will be called ‘Age of the King’. You can see my dilemma with the original title for this book. For those of you who bought later versions or simply updated the book on your kindle, the last couple of paragraphs have been pointless waffle. Sorry!

  Back to Kingdom of Bones. This is my 9th book ever written and though I feel it is my best one yet, it certainly offered more of a challenge than any before it. I’m talking specifically about Alijah’s chapters: the lessons. That kind of emotional and mental torture is something I’ve never written before. Though gruesome, physical torture is easy to write since it’s all about pain - stabby stabby etc. But, breaking someone down mentally in a bid to rebuild them into something else was quite troublesome.

  I listened to ‘Evey Reborn’, by Dario Marianelli from the ‘V for Vendetta’ soundtrack, on repeat while writing those sections. As I’ve stated before, I always listen to music when I write, and I found that track the only one moving enough to bring the story out in me. Side note - for you Spotify folks, there’s an Echoes of Fate album made by yours truly with all the tracks and songs that have inspired me thus far. Check it out!

  Regarding Alijah’s lessons, I hope you were all happy with his chapters and indeed his story arc as I myself met them with both trepidation and excitement. I’ll say no more on Alijah and his part in the story. I hate spoilers!

  I know a lot of fans will be pleased with Asher’s return though, again, you’re going to have to wait for the next book to see him swing that broadsword of his. Having made a decent start on ‘Age of the King’, I’m loving his POV again! It’s been too long since I thought like Asher. I’ve enjoyed the slow burn on his return to the books. It would have been so easy to have brought him back and gone, ‘there he is, no bother’. His return required an important part of this trilogy, befitting his heroism and death in ‘Relic of the Gods’.

  As a side note, because I love those, I have plans to write a series of books, a chronicles of sorts, when this whole saga is complete. It will detail Asher’s 14 years as a ranger, leading right up to where we meet him in ‘Rise of the Ranger’, taking the job in Whistle Town. I’m excited for these stories to reach people, but I’m devoted to telling this saga in its entirety before moving on. You can expect this Christmas time 2020. Until then, I’ve got 4 more books to write!

  This is the first time Erador has been explained since its brief mention in The Fall of Neverdark. The continent in question has been drawn by myself and brought to life by BodiDog Design, but its reveal will have to wait until the next trilogy. I love exploring this world through the characters and finding new places that even I didn’t know were there. If you follow me on Instagram, you might get a sneak preview as I post the drawing I did before my graphic designer got his hands on it.

  The inspiration to grow the world actually came from an interview I watched with George R.R. Martin. He said something along the lines of, ‘the map grows as the story grows and I discover new places’. I remember looking at the map of Verda (hanging on my living room wall) and thinking, ‘I wonder if there’s places I haven’t been to yet?’ In that regard, these books are as much of a journey for me as they are for the readers.

  Another addition to The Echoes lore is the Moonblades. It’s always great to add to the history of the world, especially during The Great War between the orcs and the alliance of elves and dwarves. It’s a period in time that hasn’t had much light shone on it, yet it was a turning point, ushering in the official Second Age.

  I don’t know much about forging real weapons, but I was fascinated by the thought of how elves make them. Being more in tune with nature, it felt like the act of just hammering over an anvil was too dwarf-like. That’s when the idea of singing came to me, like they do with the trees. Also, I love the idea of a blade that isn’t made from steel, bone or obsidian, and since the market for laser swords has been captured, I went with magic opal.

  One of my favourite parts in ‘Kingdom of Bones’ was bringing back the sword of the north. I wrote about it way back in ‘Rise of the Ranger’ during a conversation. Between Nathaniel and the Lord Marshal. At the time, I remember thinking the sword had a lot of historical significance, but there was just no way to fit it into the first three stories. It’s the only thing I’ll be bringing back from the first trilogy, but you’ll have to wait for the next book…

  Don’t worry if you felt there wasn’t enough from the dwarves; I’m not done with Dhenaheim yet. The third book promises to be a grand finale to this trilogy as well as a great stepping stone into the final chapter of the saga, Echoes of… Well, you’re going to hav
e to wait for that too, Im afraid.

  I’m still a self-publisher so, as always, I ask that you leave a review. Around one percent of all those who read the books leave a review and I love you all for it. They are unbelievably helpful when it comes to convincing people that parting with a couple of pounds or dollars is worth it for the story I’m trying to tell. I read all of them and I also appreciate the time taken to write them.

  If you want to stay updated on all of my future releases please like and follow my Facebook page and Instagram, both of which can be found by searching for PhilipCQuaintrell. I’ve got a website under development which promises to delve even deeper into Verda with lots of interesting facts and images - I’ll keep you posted.

  Until the next time…

  Appendicies

  Dwarven Hierarchy:

  1. Battleborns - Ruled by King Uthrad, son of Koddun. Domain: Silvyr Hall.

  2. Stormshields - Ruled by King Gandalir, son of Bairn. Domain: Hyndaern.

  3. Heavybellys - Ruled by King Dorain, son of Dorryn. Domain: Grimwhal.

  4. Hammerkegs - Ruled by King Torgan, son of Dorald. Domain: Nimduhn.

  5. Goldhorns - Ruled by King Thedomir, son of Thaldurum. Domain: Khaldarim.

  6. Brightbeards - Ruled by King Gaerhard, son of Hermon. Domain: Bhan Doral.

  Orcish Hierarchy:

  1. The Born Horde - Ruled by Karakulak, Chieftain of the Born Horde, Bone Lord of The Under Realm, and king of the orcs.

  2. The Berserkers - Ruled by Chieftain Warhg the terrible.

  3. The Big Bastards - Ruled by Chieftain Barghak the mountain-maker.

  4. The Grim Stalkers - Ruled by Chieftain Lurg the unseen.

  5. The Fallen - Ruled by Chieftain Orlaz the devastator.

  6. The Savage Daggers - Ruled by Chieftain Raz-ak the swift.

  7. The Steel Caste - Ruled by Chieftain Grul the unbearable.

  8. The Bone Breakers - Ruled by Chieftain Dugza the marrow drinker.

  9. The Mountain Fist - Ruled by Chieftain Golm the fiend-slayer

  Kingdoms of Illian:

  1. Alborn (eastern region) - Ruled by King Rayden of house Marek. Capital city: Velia. Other Towns and Cities: Palios, Galosha, and Barossh.

  2. The Arid Lands (southern region) - Ruled by the elected High Council. Capital city: Tregaran. Other Towns and Cities: Ameeraska and Calmardra.

  3. The Ice Vales (western region) - Ruled by King Jormund of house Orvish. Capital city: Grey Stone. Other Towns and Cities: Bleak, Kelp Town, and Snowfell.

  4. Orith (northern region) - Ruled by Queen Yelifer of house Skalaf. Capital city: Namdhor. Other Towns and Cities: Skystead, Dunwich, Darkwell, and Longdale.

  5. Felgarn (central region) - Ruled by King Weymund of house Harg. Capital city: Lirian. Other Towns and Cities: Vangarth, Wood Vale, and Whistle Town.

  6. Dragorn (island nation off The Shining Coast to the east) - Ruled by the three crime families; the Fenrigs, the Yarls, and the Danathors.

  Other significant locations:

  Elandril (northern Ayda) - Ruled by Queen Adilandra of house Sevari. The heart of the elven nation.

  The Lifeless Isles (south of Dragorn) - An archipelago and home to the dragons and the Dragorn.

  Korkanath (an island east of Velia) - The most prestigious school for magic.

  Stowhold (an island north of Korkanath) - The headquarters of Illian’s largest bank.

  Syla’s Gate (south of The arid Lands) - Entrance to The Undying Mountains.

  The Tower of Dragons’ Reach (south of Velia) - The meeting place for all the rulers of Illian and the Dragorn.

  Ilythyra (in the The moonlit Plains) - Governed by Lady Ellöria of house Sevari. Home to a small population of elves from Elandril.

  Paldora’s Fall (inside The Undying Mountains) - The impact site of Paldora’s Star, a well of powerful magic.

  Significant Wars: Chronologically

  The First War - Fought during The Pre-Dawn (before elvish-recoded history). King Atilan started a war with the first Dragon Riders in the hopes of uncovering their source of immortality. The war brought an end to Atilan’s reign and his entire kingdom.

  The Great War - Fought during the First Age, around 5,000 years ago. The only recorded time in history that elves and dwarves have united. They fought against the orcs with the help of the Dragorn, the first elvish dragon riders. This war ended the First age.

  The Dark War - Fought during the Second Age, around 1,000 years ago. Considered the elvish civil war. Valanis, the dark elf, tried to take over Illian in the name of the gods. This war ended the Second Age.

  The Dragon War - Fought in the beginning of the Third Age, only a few years after The Dark War. The surviving elves left Illian for Ayda’s shores, fleeing any more violence. Having emerged from The Wild Moores, the humans, under King Gal Tion’s rule, went to war with the dragons over their treasure. This saw the exile of the surviving dragons and the beginning of human dominance over Illian.

  The War for the Realm - The most recent war of the Third age, fought 30 years ago. The return of Valanis saw the world plunged back into war and the re-emergence of the Dragorn. Gideon Thorn became the first human to bond with a dragon in recorded history. Valanis was killed by the ranger, Asher, who died in their final battle.

  The Northern Civil War - In the wake of The War for the Realm, the north, under the ruling city of Namdhor, was left without its king, Merkaris Tion. In the vacuum that followed, the lords and great families fell into civil war over the throne. The war lasted nearly twenty years and ended with Yelifer, of house Skalaf, seated on the throne.