The Dark Warden (Book 6)
Page 30
“And blowing up the Iron Tower,” added Mara.
“That too, that too,” said Jager. “So, it occurs to me, that if I return to Andomhaim now, I’ll get killed. But if I return in triumph with the Keeper of Avalon restored to her powers, one of the noble heroes who dared great deeds in defense of the realm…I suppose I shall have a rather more pleasant welcome.”
“We are with you,” said Mara.
“Thank you,” said Calliande.
Ridmark looked at Morigna. “And you?” He hesitated, unsure of what to say. “We saved your life at Moraime, and you promised to see me to Urd Morlemoch and back. You need not go…”
“Wherever you go,” said Morigna, her voice quiet, “I am going to follow.”
Ridmark nodded. Those simple words, spoken without Jager’s grandiloquence or Caius’s stately oratory, cheered him more than he would have thought possible.
“I would be remiss,” said Arandar, “if I did not say that I felt Morigna using dark magic during the fight.”
“As did I,” said Gavin, and Calliande offered a slow nod as well.
Morigna frowned. Ridmark expected her to fly into a rage, but her voice remained cool. “When Mara and I freed you from the menhirs, I had to absorb the power from one of the soulstones.” She tapped the pouch at Ridmark’s belt, the pouch that held the rough soulstone from Urd Morlemoch. “Would you have preferred that I left you there?” They had no answer for that. “I am not going to raise undead, enslave the minds of the innocent, or gather an army of pagan orcs and descend upon your precious High Kingdom. I will not use dark magic, even if it is part of me now. Is that enough for you?”
“I suppose it shall have to be,” said Arandar, though he did not look pleased.
“Then it seems,” said Jager, “we are bound for Khald Azalar.”
“And Dragonfall,” said Calliande.
“Come,” said Ridmark, beckoning with Ardrhythain’s staff.
He crossed the ward and started down the hill, heading east for Vhaluusk and Khald Azalar.
To Dragonfall, where Calliande’s staff and memory awaited.
Epilogue
The forests upon the western edge of Vhaluusk were cool and quiet. After the spell-haunted Torn Hills, that suited Morigna just fine.
When they finally finished, she climbed off Ridmark and lay on her side next to him, her heart thundering in her ears, her breathing hard and fast, sweat beading on her bare back. They had not lain together since their first night in the Torn Hills, and Morigna had looked forward to their arrival in Vhaluusk for more reasons than one. Vhaluusk was just as dangerous as the rest of the Wilderland, torn between warring tribes of orcs, haunted by creatures of the dark elves, and raided by the denizens of the Deeps.
But it was not nearly as dangerous as the Torn Hills, which meant they could afford a little distraction.
“I am always amazed,” she murmured, “that you can walk all day, and have the stamina for this when we stop at night.”
He murmured something incoherent and kissed her, and a moment later had fallen asleep, his breathing slow and steady. Morigna let out a quiet little laugh. Stamina or not, even Ridmark had limits, and she had exhausted him past them. She kissed him and slipped away from his grasp, pulling up their cloaks to cover him.
She stood unclad in the night, and it did not trouble her in the slightest.
For she felt strong, stronger than she ever had, and she knew in her bones that there was nothing in this forest that could hurt her.
Morigna lifted the fingers of her right hand, watching the blue flames curl and dance at her will. She had promised not to use the power she had taken from Urd Morlemoch, but that had been a lie to keep that fool Arandar and Gavin from bothering her. The power she had taken was growing stronger, and she was becoming stronger with it.
Why had she been so afraid of dark magic? It was simply another form of power and nothing more. Coriolus and the Artificer and the Warden had abused their power, but Morigna would put hers to better use. With it, she would help Calliande recover her staff and defeat the Frostborn. With it, she would destroy the Enlightened of Incariel.
And when Ridmark returned to Andomhaim, she would use her power to help him rise high, with her at his side as he brought the realm to order.
Morigna looked from the fire in her hand to the shadows of the forest.
They seemed darker, deeper, richer than they ever had been.
It was as if they were speaking to her.
With her power, the shadows said, she could be strong. She could keep those she loved safe. She could destroy the Enlightened and free men everywhere from want and pain, if she but heeded them.
Morigna stood in the darkness, listening as the shadows whispered secrets to her.
THE END
Thank you for reading FROSTBORN: THE DARK WARDEN Look for Ridmark's next adventure, FROSTBORN: THE GORGON SPIRIT, to appear in early 2015. If you liked the book, please consider leaving a review at your ebook site of choice. To receive immediate notification of new releases, sign up for my newsletter, or watch for news on my Facebook page.
Other books by the author
The Demonsouled Saga
MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword.
Yet he has a dark secret. He is Demonsouled, the son of the ancient and cruel Old Demon, and his tainted blood grants him superhuman strength and speed. Yet with the power comes terrible, inhuman rage, and Mazael must struggle to keep the fury from devouring him.
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Read Demonsouled for free. Mazael's adventures continue in Soul of Tyrants, Soul of Serpents, Soul of Dragons, Soul of Sorcery, Soul of Skulls, and Soul of Swords, along with the short stories The Wandering Knight, The Tournament Knight, and The Dragon's Shadow. Get the first three books bundled together in Demonsouled Omnibus One.
The Ghosts Series
Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.
Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.
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iences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.
And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.
Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.
Read Child of the Ghosts for free. Caina's adventures continue in Ghost in the Flames, Ghost in the Blood, Ghost in the Storm, Ghost in the Stone, Ghost in the Forge, Ghost in the Ashes, Ghost in the Mask, and Ghost in the Surge, along with the short stories Ghost Aria, Ghost Claws, Ghost Omens, The Fall of Kyrace, Ghost Thorns, Ghost Undying and Ghost Dagger. Get the first three books bundled together in The Ghosts Omnibus One.
The Ghost Exile Series
Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.
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Read The Testing for free. Rachelis's trials continue in The Assassins, The Blood Shaman, The High Demon, The Burning Child, The Outlaw Adept, The Black Paladin, and The Tomb of Baligant. Read the entire series in The Third Soul Omnibus One and The Third Soul Omnibus Two.
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About the Author
Standing over six feet tall, Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.
He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works.
Visit his website at:
http://www.jonathanmoeller.com
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http://www.computerbeginnersguides.com
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Table of Contents
Description
A Brief Prologue
Chapter 1 - The Torn Hills
Chapter 2 - The Sorceress and the Exile
Chapter 3 - Things To Lose
Chapter 4 - Memories
Chapter 5 - The Swordbearer
Chapter 6 - The Knight’s Quest
Chapter 7 - The Devout
Chapter 8 - The Archmage
Chapter 9 - Something New
Chapter 10 - Urd Morlemoch
Chapter 11 - Mechanisms
Chapter 12 - Guests
Chapter 13 - To Your Deaths
Chapter 14 - The Frostborn
Chapter 15 - Who Am I?
Chapter 16 - Bliss
Chapter 17 - The New Empire
Chapter 18 - Power at a Price
Chapter 19 - Threshold
Chapter 20 - Knights
Chapter 21 - Wrath of the Devout
Chapter 22 - The Long Game
Chapter 23 - One Hundred Thousand Years Of War
Chapter 24 - Where The Secret Rests
Epilogue
Other books by the author
About the Author