by ML Spencer
Onsel moved forward and took over the bellows, adding air to the forge. The steel glowed brighter, gradually progressing through slow degrees of red into orange and then finally arriving at yellow, when it abruptly caught fire with an eruption of crackling sparks.
Slowly at first, the blade began deforming. The glowing edges lost their shape, dripping bright golden drops of liquid steel into the forge. Fire gushed as the melting blade released its tattered collection of souls, which escaped the forge in a hot wind that gusted past them. Aram threw his head back and gasped as the wind swept over him, for he could feel those souls moving through him, pressing upon his heart a strong sense of gratitude.
As he watched the Baelsword succumb to the flames, his eyes filled with tears of sadness and relief, for he knew that his father’s spirit was finally free.
“Goodbye, papa,” he whispered.
Swallowing a heavy lump in his throat, he reached up and untied the twine necklace around his neck. When Calise saw what he meant to do, she looked at him in concern. But Aram gave her a reassuring smile, so she leaned into him, taking his hand. With Markus looking on, together they raised the eternal heart knot necklace over the forge and surrendered it to the flames, a symbol of love, hope, and thankfulness.
When they left the forge in the light of morning, the streets of Hearth Home were filled with people waking with a newfound sense of security that hadn’t been known in hundreds of years. For all of them knew that, for the first time in centuries, their world was finally at peace. Above them, a beacon fire blazed in the Heights, signaling to all the world that a Great One and his Champion watched over them.
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THE END
Thank You! Please Read!!!
After months and months of dreaming, doodling, mapping, and crawling through knot books, Dragon Mage has finally been born! I am so grateful to you — yes, YOU! — for making the investment in and taking the time to read Dragon Mage. It’s your support that makes it possible for writers like me to practice our craft, and your involvement is so valued to us!
So please, please, consider rating and reviewing Dragon Mage on Amazon, or any of your favorite book sites. Many people don’t know that there are literally thousands of books published every day, most of those in the USA alone. Over the course of a year, a quarter of a million authors will vie for a small place on your bookshelf or reader library. We need all the help we can get, and that’s where wonderful readers like you come in! Leaving a review for an author is literally a make-or-break affair, as reviews are one of the main ways our books can stand out from millions of others out there.
If you’d like to share with me your thoughts, feedback, or anything else, my contact email is [email protected].
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Your biggest fan,
ML Spencer
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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DRAGON MAGE
Copyright © 2020 by ML Spencer
STONEGUARD PUBLICATIONS
Cover Illustration by Sutthiwat Dechkmphu
Cover Design by STK Creations
Edited by Sarah Chorn
World Maps by ML Spencer
Character Illustrations by Wojtek Depczynski
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ISBN 978-1-951452-03-2
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All rights reserved.
