Carth tossed a bundle to me, and I caught it. I didn’t need to open it to know there would be more darts within.
“You did well, Galen.”
She started to turn.
“There’s something else,” I said.
She hesitated.
“I found someone. A woman who claimed to have killed you.”
Carth laughed. “I know you did. She’s now in my custody. She made a mistake. She will not be granted the chance to make another.”
She paused and came over to me, and slipped her arm around my waist. Then she jumped, clearing the room. We landed in the small home above.
“The assassin might be gone, but you will be needed again soon, Galen of Elaeavn. When asked of the crystal, you may share that I have it. Until then, be ready.”
With that, she stepped out the door and faded into the shadows.
I stood in the doorway, staring after her, but saw no evidence of Carth of C’than. Or any of the bodies of the Forgotten. They were all moved. I suspected I’d find the same in the courtyard. So many had died, all for the crystal. Had it been worth it?
I thought of everything I’d been through since learning of the crystal. It no longer belonged to the city, and perhaps that was right. Let Carth protect it. She would do so much better than I could, better than even those within the city could.
I didn’t doubt she would keep it safe. When Carth wanted to disappear, she did.
As I thought of Carth, and what she’d done for me, a smile came to my lips.
Not because I no longer had to worry about the crystal, but because Carth was right—the assassin was gone. More than that, I no longer feared what I was.
As the sun rose over Asador, I hurried back to Cael, wanting to share with her what had happened. A strange sensation washed over me, and I suspected she already knew. That thought made me smile even more.
I’m excited to share with you book 1 of a new series, The Lost Prophecy: The Threat of Madness, available for preorder 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 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.
About the Author
DK Holmberg currently lives in rural Minnesota where the winter cold and the summer mosquitoes keep him inside and writing.
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For more information:
@dkholmberg
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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
Also in the world of The Dark Ability
The Painted Girl
The Binders Game
The Forgotten
Assassin’s End
The Shadow Accords
Shadow Blessed
Shadow Cursed
Shadow Born
The Endless War
Journey of Fire and Night
Darkness Rising
Endless Night
Summoner’s Bond
Seal of Light
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
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
Assassin's End Page 20