“And so the fact that he wanted to sell them…”
“He was exiled. If he brought others with him, it would be a grave injustice to the guild.”
“He’s gone,” Endric said.
“Gone?”
Endric nodded. “He was trying to use a poison on me, and I managed to escape. I used it on him.”
“What kind of poison?”
Endric grinned. “How do you expect me to know? I’m not a historian.”
“No, but I suspect that you would have succeeded if you wanted.”
“I did pass the first few tests.”
“What kind of tests?”
“Test of observation.”
Novan smiled to himself. “Do they really think to copy so much?”
“Why is that?”
“Because that is an actual test for the guild. It is one of the earliest tests for an apprentice. They must prove that they are capable of making observations, especially under times of duress. Not all are able to do so.”
“It seems as if I did,” he said.
Novan smiled. “I am not surprised. I imagine your Denraen training helped you.”
“It did.”
Novan stared at the door. “Are you ready to end this?”
Endric threw the door open. He stood there, hesitating, before stepping inside. There were another dozen men inside the room. Some of them had staffs, likely indicating that they were the guardians, but others held darts. There were enough that if they attacked, Endric wasn’t certain that they would survive.
“Novan,” a voice said.
Endric blinked. He recognized that voice. It was Master Hames.
“Hames. You were responsible for all of this.”
“You made a mistake in coming here,” Hames said, starting forward from the back of the room.
Novan shook his head. “It was your mistake in allowing me to learn about your plan.”
“Learn? I made every effort to prevent anyone from learning of it. The fact that you came here, sending your apprentice.” He looked in Endric’s direction, glaring at him.
Novan smiled. “Did you even figure out who he was?”
“I didn’t need to figure out who it was. You hired a soldier to protect you.”
“Do you think any soldier could pass your testing?”
“I am not surprised that you would have prepared him.”
“Ah, but I did not prepare him. He was prepared long before he ever met me.”
“What is this about?” Hames asked.
“Your mistake,” Novan said. “You allowed Endric, son of Dendril, Denraen general, to learn of your plans. And you made the mistake of trying to harm him.”
Hames’ eyes went wide.
“Yes. You recognize the name. A shame you didn’t recognize the man.”
“It doesn’t matter. You aren’t leaving here. You don’t have the necessary support.”
“Don’t I?”
Hames smiled. “We have assets throughout the city.”
“Assets that I believe Endric and his Assal friend eliminated, at least many of them. And I have assets throughout the city, too.”
“Coamdon is ours.”
“No. Coamdon is not yours. And your mistake was thinking that it could be.”
Endric looked over, curious what Novan was getting at. He didn’t have the opportunity to wait too long. Hames raised his hand, and the people with the darts suddenly attempted to throw them, but Novan tapped his staff once on the ground. Power exploded from it. It slammed into the others, throwing them back.
Novan stalked forward to Hames. He slammed his staff against the exiled historian’s chest. “You have made a grave mistake.”
“Who are you?” Hames asked.
“I am but a historian. And it is much more than you will ever be.” Novan turned and looked at Akar. “I imagine we will find the rest of your people somewhere in the fortress. We can rescue them. And if we have time, they can be saved. And then you may gather all of these books, and they can be returned to your ship, and you can complete your task.”
Akar nodded. He headed out of the library in search of his people.
Endric stared at Novan. “I have questions.”
“I know.”
“Will you answer?”
“I have yet to decide.” Novan considered him for a moment. “And you? Have you come to a decision?”
Endric breathed out before nodding. “I have.”
“And what did you decide?”
After everything that he’d been through to uncover what he had, he wondered if there had been the need for Senda and Pendin to even have made the journey. Perhaps Pendin had needed to. It afforded his friend the opportunity to connect to his mother, something that Pendin had needed to do for some time. And Senda… she had served a different purpose by reminding him of what he really needed to be doing.
“That it is time for me to return to Vasha.”
Novan smiled at him. “Very good.”
Epilogue
The return to Vasha went quickly. It was a relief to be reunited with Senda and Pendin, and there were questions throughout the journey back about what Endric had experienced, but he avoided answering some of them. When it came to the Assal, Endric wasn’t sure what to say. They made no secret about the fact that the Assal had been hired by the guild, and Novan had allowed Elizabeth to know that there had been a fracture within the guild, and that fracture had been the reason that the guild had gone silent. She pressed him for information about where the guild truly could be found, but Novan refused to answer. Each time she tried to find out more, he demurred, and after a while, as she pestered him, Endric began to find it amusing more than anything else.
The Assal had loaded their ship, said their goodbyes, and Akar had made a promise to visit Endric in Vasha. It was enough.
Novan got ready to depart shortly after they returned to the northern continent. He said his goodbyes, and while Endric didn’t think it would be long before he saw the historian again, he wondered if he was going off to meet with Tresten. Now that he understood a little bit more about Novan, and the secrets Novan kept, he thought he understood better why he was the one to serve the Conclave.
“Are you ready?” Novan asked before departing.
Endric glanced at the other Denraen, along with Senda and Pendin. There had been a comfortable silence during their return, nothing more than that. “I’m ready to return,” he said.
“I don’t know when you will be next called to serve the Conclave,” Novan said.
“That’s fine,” Endric said.
“You won’t wait expectantly for it?”
Endric shrugged. “Would it matter if I did?”
Novan smiled. “No, but then again, the fact that you aren’t waiting anxiously tells me much.”
“Safe travels.”
“And the same to you,” Novan said.
When they reached Vasha, Endric stared up at the terraces, hesitating for a moment. Elizabeth hurried back into the city, and he wondered what she would report to the university. Pendin watched her go and wore an expression filled with mixed emotions.
“Are the two of you…” Endric began.
Pendin sighed before turning back to Endric. “We are what we are,” he said. “I suppose that’s all we can be.”
“She cares about you.”
“I know that she does, but that doesn’t change what she’s done.”
“What has she done?” Senda asked.
“Senda,” Endric said.
She shot him a withering look. Senda had been frustrated by his disappearance and had worried about him, and when they had been reunited, she had shown her anger in a way that only Senda could do. Endric had done nothing to oppose it, for what was there for him to do? He deserved her anger, if only because he had foolishly jumped on board the Assal ship.
“No,” Senda said. “He has moped around throughout the entire journey and was no better when you were gone. His mother s
ent him south, wanting to help him recover, and he did. He blames her for that?”
Endric glanced over at Pendin, smiling slightly. “She has a point.”
Pendin shook his head. “I know she has a point, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”
“Which part? Senda or your mother?”
“Either.”
Senda glared at him. “It’s time for you to grow up. Both of you.”
Endric frowned. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’re here again, back from another mission, and nothing has changed for you. You continue to fight your responsibilities, much as you always have.”
“Senda—”
She shook her head, staring at him. “No. I’m going to say this. You have served long enough, Endric. And situations like this have shown that it’s time for you to step up. I know you have taken on the role of Raen, but I don’t know that is enough, not anymore. Things have changed, and—”
Endric took her arm and pulled her toward him, silencing her with a brief peck on the lips. “I know,” he said.
She looked up at him. “You know what?”
Endric nodded. “I know.”
Her eyes widened as they continued into the city, no one saying anything more, but Pendin finally glanced over, looking up at Endric. “What do you know?” he asked.
Endric chuckled. “It’s nothing,” he said.
They reached the second terrace, and when they headed in, greeted by the Denraen standing guard, Endric had a sense of home. It had been a while since the city felt like home, and he wondered if it had anything to do with his decision, or whether it just had to do with the fact that he had been gone for so long.
Maybe it was simply that it was time. It was time for this to be his home. It was time for him to take up the mantle that he had long known should be his, and to step forward and lead.
He made his way into the officers’ quarters and found his father in his office, much as Endric expected him to be. These days, his father stayed in the office most of the time, at least while Endric had been in the city. His father looked up when he entered, not having bothered to knock.
“You returned.”
Endric took a seat on the other side of his father’s desk. “We discovered why the guild had gone silent.”
“And?”
“There was a fracture. Part of the guild splintered and the rest of the guild had gone quiet so that they could determine what had happened.”
“I take it that Novan was a part of this?”
“We found him. Or I should say that he found us. Him and Tresten.”
“Tresten. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
“He’s well, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”
“I’m not sure that I would ever be terribly concerned about Tresten and his safety.”
Endric glanced up at the wall behind his father. His greatsword Trill hung from the wall, and it served as something of a reminder of who his father was—or had been. Endric wasn’t sure whether that man truly reflected his father anymore. He had aged, and with that, he had changed. Endric had resisted his role for so long that it had been easy to overlook the way that his father had changed, but he could ignore it no more. His experience outside of the city had shown him that.
“I imagine you will take another patrol out soon?” his father said.
Endric shook his head. “I was thinking of something else.”
Dendril looked down at the table. He made a note on his paper. “What is that?”
“I intend to remain in the city for a little while. It’s time for me to add another verse to my song.”
“Training?”
Endric leaned forward. He took a deep breath. For so long, he’d worried about what would befall his father, but even that didn’t matter, not as he thought it did. His father would always have a place, regardless of whether it was in the Denraen or with the Conclave. Seeing Tresten had shown him that.
“Father.” When Dendril didn’t look up, Endric cleared his throat. “General Dendril.”
His father looked up and clasped his hands on the desk.
“According to the customs of the Denraen, I present to you my intention to challenge you for the leadership of the Denraen.”
Endric didn’t fear to face his father. He knew he was more than a match for him. That had not been his concern for years. Instead it was his father’s reaction.
“Son,” he said, smiling. “It’s about time.”
Thanks for following Endric’s story. After writing The Lost Prophecy series, I knew I needed to know more about Endric’s origins (so if you want to read about Endric later in life, grab The Threat of Madness). He’s one of my all time favorite characters, and I hope you’ve enjoyed his journey.
If you enjoyed The Teralin Sword series, check out the first book in a new series, The Elder Stones Saga: The Darkest Revenge.
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 renews a decades old battle, Haern volunteers to leave the city and find the one person who can lead their people to victory. His inexperience might kill him, but his instincts might be the reason they succeed.
For Daniel, a member of the ruling family, life in the palace is easy and his path is clear. Eventually, he will rise up to sit on the council and lead the people of the city. An injury to someone he cares for changes everything for him, and he must go to the one person he despises most for help. If he fails, he’ll learn what it means to lose everything he cares about.
Though born to power, Lucy longs for an understanding she can’t find in books. When a horrible attack leaves her forever changed, her quest for understanding leads her to those responsible—and a means of stopping them.
All paths lead toward the Elder Stones, for the one who controls the stones controls power.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading Soldier Song. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or elsewhere, I would be very grateful.
Reviews and referrals are as vital to an author’s success as a good GPA is to a student’s. Reviews like yours are how other readers will find my work.
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All my best,
D.K. Holmberg
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Also by D.K. Holmberg
The Dragonwalker
Dragon Bones
Dragon Blessed
Dragon Rise
Dragon Bond
Dragon Storm
Dragon Rider
Dragon Sight
The Teralin Sword
Soldier Son
Soldier Sword
Soldier Sworn
Soldier Saved
Soldier Scarred
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 Cloud Warrior Saga
Chased by Fire
Bound by Fire
C
hanged 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
The Endless War
Journey of Fire and Night
Darkness Rising
Endless Night
Summoner’s Bond
Seal of Light
The Book of Maladies
Wasting
Broken
Poisoned
Tormina
Comatose
Amnesia
Exsanguinated
The Shadow Accords
Shadow Blessed
Shadow Cursed
Shadow Born
Shadow Lost
Shadow Cross
Shadow Found
The Collector Chronicles
Shadow Hunted
Shadow Games
Shadow Trapped
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 Binders Game
The Forgotten
Assassin’s End
Soldier Song (The Teralin Sword Book 6) Page 27