“I have,” he whispered.
Alyta looked surprised. “You’re lucky you were not lost. When you step along the fibers, it is easy… to lose yourself in someone else.”
He had almost lost himself in Shoren. “Anda said that I’ve walked back along my ancestors. Why does that happen?”
“They are a coming of age for a young damahne,” she said. “You can step back and watch your ancestors,” she continued. “Or become… them as you grow stronger. I am sorry I will not be able to guide you through these changes. I am sorry you will not have a teacher as other damahne have had. Things will happen,” she told him weakly. “Strange things. You must understand that it is only your abilities coming to you. Your birthright.”
“You are the last of us now, Jakob,” Alyta whispered to him. “You must find the source of knowledge and understand… your purpose, your role.” She paused, gasping for air. “There is so much more I need to tell you,” she started, before falling silent.
They laid her down gently. Jakob could see the powerful woman she once was.
She turned her head toward him, “There is a place of knowing,” she began but did not finish.
Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he closed Alyta’s still-open eyes. She seemed to be smiling in death.
“What now?” Anda asked him.
He did not know. Everything seemed so different now. “I need to find the place she spoke about, but we can’t leave her here. Not like this.”
Anda squeezed his hand again. “We will take her from here, to a proper place.”
He stepped toward the wall and grabbed his sword. As he did, he felt the light pulsing in his mind. The new awareness came forward and helped him pull, and the blade slid easily from the wall.
As he walked back, stepping over Raime’s cloak, he noticed it was flat, bodiless.
Jakob picked Alyta’s body up, cradling her in his arms.
“I will guide you,” Anda told him.
“Where are we going?” Jakob asked.
“The forest,” she said.
Anda touched his arm, and he felt a tug at his mind followed by movement.
Raime looked up at the stone of the mountain and welcomed the bite of the cold wind. It whipped through him, and he felt naked without his cloak. It seemed only appropriate for his anger. He would walk, he decided. It would help him vent his rage.
As he walked, the stone of the mountain seemed to tremble. Huge boulders flung themselves out of his way, leaving an unobstructed path. The rock at least would feel his fury.
He could not believe his failure. His groeliin, beaten by a handful of Magi? He had not counted on the forest. Damn damahne and the power of the forest! With the number of beasts he had directed south, the city should have been overflowing with them. He would not underestimate the Magi again. No, the next time, no Mage would stop him.
Then there was the disappointment of the Deshmahne. Somehow, Endric had mustered enough support to stop them in the north. That would not happen again.
And that boy! The thought nearly made him crazy.
What was that boy? He was no Mage, he knew that.
It did not seem possible that he was anything else, but there seemed only one explanation. He should have killed him earlier. He would not make the same mistake again.
He reached a cave mouth high up on the mountain and passed through. He saw one of the mindless men. The sight of it reminded him of the boy, and he screamed, bringing his fist down toward the man’s face. It exploded in a burst of blood, and the body dropped. It brought little satisfaction.
He reached the huge, open hall and looked down upon the groeliin breeding grounds. He would bring greater numbers the next time. Much greater. As he watched, one of the bitches gave birth. Six of the beasts crawled about the placenta, gnawing at it immediately, their fierce teeth biting at each other. He heard one squeal and watched as the bitch brought her fist down, crushing it.
He smiled. Only the strongest this time, he thought, and they will destroy everything. It would be their punishment for what they took from him.
He felt the fire of his eyes dance, and he laughed.
The Lost Prophesy series will continue. Book 4 will be out in June. Sign up HERE for release information.
Want to read more about Endric? Soldier Son, Book 1 of The Teralin Sword, will be out in March. Set decades before the events in The Lost Prophecy.
As the second son of the general of the Denraen, Endric wants only to fight, not the commission his father demands of him. When a strange attack in the south leads to the loss of someone close to him, only Endric seems concerned about what happened.
All signs point to an attack on the city, and betrayal by someone deep within the Denraen, but his father no longer trusts his judgment. This forces Endric to make another impulsive decision, one that leads him far from the city on a journey where he discovers how little he knew, and how much more he has to understand. If he can prove himself in time, and with the help of his new allies, he might be able to stop a greater disaster.
About the Author
DK Holmberg currently lives in rural Minnesota where the winter cold and the summer mosquitoes keep him inside and writing. He has two active children who inspire him to keep telling new stories.
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Also by D.K. Holmberg
The Lost Prophecy
The Threat of Madness
The Warrior Mage
Tower of the Gods
The Teralin Sword
Soldier Son
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
Cycle of Fire
The Endless War
Journey of Fire and Night
Darkness Rising
Endless Night
Summoner’s Bond
Seal of Light
The Shadow Accords
Shadow Blessed
Shadow Cursed
Shadow Born
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
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
Stone Dragon
Tower of the Gods (The Lost Prophecy Book 3) Page 31
