It had been such a long time ago.
“I saw many remarkable things in the shadow of your future on that day,” said Ardrhythain, “but even then, I did not know that one day we would stand here, and you would have the strength and the courage to return the sword of the Dragon Knight to me.”
Ridmark reversed his grip on the sword and held out Caledhmaer’s hilt to Ardrhythain. The archmage took it, and just like that, Ridmark felt his bond to the sword dissolve.
He was surprised at how easy it had been to lay down the mantle of the Dragon Knight.
“We shall keep the sword here,” said Ardrhythain, “until the hour when it is needed once more.”
“Thank you,” said Ridmark.
“But until that hour,” said Ardrhythain, lifting the bundle from beneath his arm, “you still have a family to defend and a realm to protect, and there are still creatures of dark magic loose in the world. I would not leave you defenseless before them. Take this.”
Ridmark frowned, and then took the bundle from Ardrhythain’s hands and unwrapped it.
It was a sheathed soulblade.
Ridmark blinked and drew the sword. He had never seen a weapon quite like it. There was a soulstone in the tang of the blade and a second in the pommel, both stones flickering with pale white light, and the blade was an odd shade of sharp blue that he had never seen before. It wasn’t the blue of dark elven steel, or the blue of a locusari carapace, but a deeper color entirely.
“A soulblade,” said Ridmark.
“One forged unique for your hand,” said Ardrhythain, “and with powers that other soulblades do not possess. The blade is called Oathshield, and by taking it up, you have become the first Shield Knight of Andomhaim.”
The soulstones in Oathshield flashed, and Ridmark staggered as he felt the sword’s presence in his mind, felt strength and power flow through the link to the soulblade.
He had not experienced that for nearly fifteen years, not since his bond to Heartwarden had been broken.
“Then…I am a Swordbearer again?” said Ridmark.
“Of a sort,” said Ardrhythain. “You are now the Shield Knight. Oathshield has all the powers of a normal soulblade, but others you shall discover in time. When the hour comes, you will choose your successor as the Shield Knight, as the defender of the Keeper and of Andomhaim.”
Ridmark nodded, his mind spinning a little. “Thank you. I…will try to use the sword wisely.”
“I know you shall,” said Ardrhythain. “Farewell, my friend. I do not see in the shadows of your future that we shall meet again, not until the cosmos is renewed.”
Ridmark nodded and returned Oathshield to its scabbard. “Thank you for all your help.”
“My help?” said Ardrhythain. “I did nothing. It was in your hands that the fate of the world rested.” He smiled. “I just helped you to be in the right place at the right time.”
Ridmark offered the archmage one last bow, turned, and strode through the gate of the sword the Dragon Knight for the last time.
The gate snapped shut behind him, and Ridmark took a deep breath and looked around.
He stood on the western bank of the River Moradel, the southern sea stretching before him and the towers of Tarlion rising on the other side of the river.
Before him stood his domus.
Arandar had offered him a benefice in the royal domain, and Ridmark had asked for the lands across the river that had once held Calliande’s village. Arandar had accepted, and together Ridmark and Calliande had built a house where her village had once stood, a villa in the style of the Romans of old. When the Keeper had business in the city, they went to the Tower of the Keeper, but otherwise, Ridmark and Calliande and their children lived here.
Calliande hurried towards Ridmark, the staff of the Keeper in hand, white fire glimmering along its length.
For a moment, he stared at his wife, his mind flashing back to the moment they had met nine years ago. Her face was a little thinner now, the lines around her eyes and mouth sharper, her hair not the bright shade of gold it had been. Yet in some ways, it was as if he was seeing her for the first time. The intensity of the emotion that went through Ridmark startled him. Maybe he really had loved her from the moment they had met. Yet after nine years, after victories and defeats, joys and griefs…they had grown intertwined around each other, and he had no desire to ever be separated.
“I saw the gate open,” said Calliande, coming to a stop a few paces away. “I thought there might be a danger…”
She stared at him for a moment.
“You gave it back,” she said at last.
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “Maybe I’ll regret it someday. But…
“No,” said Calliande. “No, I think that’s just fear talking. We needed the sword to fight the Frostborn. But it’s too powerful for mortal men otherwise. It should go back to the high elves until it is needed.” She pushed the hair away from her face. She often did that when she looked at him. “And however long we live, I hope we do not live to see another hour when we might need the sword.”
“One was enough,” said Ridmark.
“We wouldn’t want to get greedy, would we?” said Calliande.
He blinked, and then laughed. “God forfend such a fate.” Seven years married and she was still one of the few people who could make him laugh.
“That sword, though,” said Calliande, looking at Oathshield. “Ardrhythain gave it to you? It looks like a soulblade, but different…”
“Aye,” said Ridmark. “It’s called Oathshield, and apparently, I am now the Shield Knight.”
“What is the Shield Knight?” said Calliande.
“I don’t know,” said Ridmark. “I suppose we’ll get to find out together. Ardrhythain said the Shield Knight was the protector of Andomhaim and the Keeper.”
“In other words, what you’ve already been doing,” said Calliande. “But I think it’s a good name.”
“The Shield Knight?” said Ridmark.
“No.” Calliande smiled. “Oathshield. The sword of Ridmark Arban. The man who never, ever gave up.”
Ridmark smiled, stepped closer, and kissed her.
“I think,” he said, “that’s just a polite way of calling me stubborn.”
“If anyone has ever benefited from your stubbornness, Ridmark Arban, it would be your wife.” She held out her arm. “Shall we join the others for dinner?” Ridmark took her arm. “I don’t think Dagma and her girls have had to cook for so many people for so long.”
“Wait until the boys are a few years older,” said Ridmark. “They will eat us out of house and home. The cooks at Castra Marcaine used to chase the squires away to keep us from stealing bread from the kitchens.”
They walked together to their domus.
“You know,” said Calliande, “I just realized that I’ve never been married to a Swordbearer before.”
“I think,” said Ridmark, “that you’ll find it enjoyable.”
She gave him a smile full of promise and then looked back at their house. “Ridmark Arban, the man who never stopped looking for the Frostborn. Do you like what you found?”
They stepped into the courtyard of the domus, where their guests for the Feast of the Resurrection had gathered to enjoy the warm spring air. Gavin stood with Camorak, both talking about the recent campaign against the kobold raiders in Caerdracon. Camorak’s wife Martia stood near him, still looking nervous to be waited upon rather than the one doing the waiting. Kharlacht and Caius were nearby, serving as ambassadors from their respective realms to pay respects to the High King on the Feast of the Resurrection. As usual, they were arguing about theology, and Kharlacht’s wife Mhaljaka barked her harsh laugh from time to time.
Gareth and Philip were playing at wooden swords, while Antenora held Joachim. Ridmark’s youngest son was sucking on his fingers one by one, examining them critically, and then returning them to his mouth. Antenora was five months pregnant, and she had that oddly serene expression she got whi
le with child. Mara and Jager and Third were visiting the High King from Nightmane Forest, and Jager was recounting the tale of some grand business exploit to Antenora, while Qhazulak and three others of the Queen’s Guard stood scowling behind him. Crown Prince Accolon walked up to Jager and greeted him, and Ridmark knew that meant Accolon’s father and stepmother would soon be crossing the river from Tarlion.
Did Ridmark like what he had found?
He had spent years looking for the Frostborn, but he hadn’t been really looking for the Frostborn themselves. He had been looking for a way to stop their return. He hadn’t known it at the time, but he had wanted to stop them to defend this, even though he had never imagined that this would one day be his life.
He had sought for death in the Wilderland and found something else instead.
“Yes,” said Ridmark to Calliande. “I do.”
THE END
Thank you for reading FROSTBORN: THE SHADOW PRISON and the FROSTBORN series!
But there are more adventures to come for Ridmark and Calliande in the world of Andomhaim and the Frostborn, and turn the page for an author's note about SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION.
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.
A final author's note
Thank you for reading the FROSTBORN series!
More adventures await Ridmark the Shield Knight and Calliande the Keeper. The first of those adventures is SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION, the first book of the SEVENFOLD SWORD series. If all goes well, SEVENFOLD SWORD: CHAMPION will be released in late summer or early autumn of 2017.
Thank you again for reading the FROSTBORN series. Fifteen books in four years was quite a ride, and I am glad you could come along to the end!
-Jonathan Moeller
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.
But he dare not turn aside from the strength of his blood, for he will need it to face terrible foes.
The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.
The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.
The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.
To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.
Yet he faces a far more terrible foe.
For centuries the Old Demon has manipulated kings and lords. Now he shall seize the power of the Demonsouled for himself, and become the a god of torment and tyranny.
Unless Mazael can stop him.
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.
Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.
And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.
Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.
The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, 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, Ghost Light, and Ghost Dagger, and the prequel novels Blade of the Ghosts and Champion of the Ghosts. 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.
But the victory cost her everything.
Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself.
And Caina is the only one that stands in its way...
Read Ghost in the Cowl, Ghost in the Maze, Ghost in the Hunt, Ghost in the Razor, Ghost in the Inferno, Ghost in the Seal, Ghost in the Throne, Ghost in the Pact, and Ghost in the Winds along with the short stories Ghost Sword, Ghost Price, Ghost Relics, Ghost Keeper, Ghost Nails, Ghost Lock, Ghost Arts, Ghost Vigil, Ghost Mimic, and Ghost Vessel.
The Third Soul
RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.
Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.
And now the Magisters of the Conclave have come to take Rachaelis to undertake the Testing. And there she shall face perils to both her body and her sanity.
And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.
If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.
And some Adepts of the Conclave are eager to help them.
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.
The Frostborn Series
A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.
But a shadow threatens to
devour the kingdom.
RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.
But he alone sees the danger to come. The Frostborn shall return, and unless they are stopped, they will cover all the world in ice and a neverending winter.
CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.
For she alone holds the secret that can save the world…or destroy it utterly.
The secret of the Frostborn.
Read Frostborn: The First Quest, followed by Frostborn: The Gray Knight, Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife, Frostborn: The Undying Wizard, Frostborn: The Master Thief, Frostborn: The Iron Tower, Frostborn: The Dark Warden, Frostborn: The Gorgon Spirit, Frostborn: The Broken Mage, Frostborn: The World Gate, Frostborn: The High Lords, Frostborn: The False King, Frostborn: The Dwarven Prince, Frostborn: Excalibur, Frostborn: The Dragon Knight, and Frostborn: The Shadow Prison, and the prequel novel Frostborn: The Knight Quests along with the short stories The Orc's Tale, The Mage's Tale, The Thief's Tale, The Assassin's Tale, The Paladins's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Soldier's Tale, and The Soldier's Tale. Read the first three books combined in Frostborn Omnibus One.
Mask of the Demonsouled Trilogy
MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK has prevailed over terrible foes and now rules the Grim Marches with firm justice. Yet ancient evils are stirring in the shadows, freed at last by Mazael's own hand. Unless Mazael fights with all his strength, the world will fall.
SIGALDRA is the last holdmistress of the Jutai nation, the final defender of her people. Now the darkness comes to devour the final remnant of Sigaldra's home and family. Even Sigaldra's courage may not be enough to turn aside the darkness.
Read Mask of Swords, Mask of Dragons, and Mask of Spells along with the short stories The Ransom Knight, The Bronze Knight, The Serpent Knight, and The Rune Knight.
Frostborn: The Shadow Prison (Frostborn #15) Page 46