The Gift of Battle (32 page)
Just sorcerer’s
words
,
he thought.
Thor shook the
prophecy from his mind, shook all dark thoughts from his mind. Now was not a
time for brooding. Now was a time for joy. Unequivocal joy.
“Thorgrin!
Gwendolyn!”
Thor turned with
Gwen, and he was thrilled to see a group of men and a group of women, all
dressed in their finest, approach: the grooms and brides. Kendrick, Erec,
Reece, Darius, Elden, and Godfrey walked in one group, Dray at their heels,
while Sandara, Alistair, Stara, Loti, Indra, and Illepra walked in the other.
The six other couples, all set to be married with them today.
Illepra held
Guwayne, and Alistair held her baby girl, now nearly one year old, the most
beautiful baby girl Thor had ever seen, her eyes light blue, shining like her
mother’s. Thor knew she would grow up with Guwayne, that she, his sister’s
child, would have a fate inextricably linked with his son’s. He could not help
but wonder what would become of the next generation.
Godfrey held out
a sack of wine for Thorgrin, while Illepra held one out for Gwendolyn, and Thor
could see all the brides- and grooms-to-be were each already holding one. As
the sun began to set, they all had such joy on their faces, faces filled with
the expectation of the glorious wedding to come.
Godfrey raised
his sack for a toast, and as all the others leaned in; Thorgrin did, too. They
stood there against the setting sun, and Thor looked out at their faces,
illuminated in the last light of day, these people he loved and respected the
most. It was a privilege, he realized, to be able to fight by their side.
“What is best in
life?” Godfrey asked, posing the question to all of them.
They all fell
silent, and as they all pondered the question, one after another called out:
“Truth!”
“Sacrifice!”
“Duty!”
“Valor!”
“Courage!”
“Honor!” Thor
chimed in.
There suddenly
came a lone screech, high above, and Thor looked up to see Lycoples circling,
joined by Estopheles, the two spreading their wings.
“It is settled,
then!” Godfrey said.
They all nodded
and raised their sacks higher.
“To honor!”
Thorgrin called out.
“TO HONOR!” they
all replied, their toast echoing off the cliffs of the Ring—and echoing in
eternity.
AUTHOR NOTE
I
am honored that you have read all 17 books in the Sorcerer’s Ring. For those of
you who wonder what the future holds for Guwayne, that epic tale will be told
one day, in its own series, THE SORCERER’S SON. But that series is not planned
for anytime soon.
Now
it is time for me to focus on a new series, with new characters, new settings,
a new world, and a brand new plot. Please allow me to be the first to invite
you to my new epic fantasy series: KINGS AND SORCERERS.
NOW AVAILABLE
FOR PRE-ORDER!
(PUBLISHING DECEMBER
22, 2014)
(KINGS AND
SORCERERS—BOOK 1)
“All
the ingredients are here for an instant success: plots, counterplots, mystery,
valiant knights, and blossoming relationships replete with broken hearts,
deception and betrayal. It will keep you entertained for hours, and will
satisfy all ages. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy
readers.”
—Books and Movie Reviews
, Roberto Mattos
(regarding A Quest of
Heroes)
From #1 Bestselling author
Morgan Rice comes a sweeping new epic fantasy series: RISE OF THE DRAGONS
(KINGS AND SORCERERS—Book 1). Kyra, a 14 year old girl who dreams of following
in her father’s footsteps and becoming a famed warrior, is a finer archer than
all the others. As she grapples to understand her skills, her mysterious inner
power, and what secret is being kept from her about her birth, she comes to
realize that she is different than the others, and that hers is a special
destiny.
But her people live under the thumb of oppressive noblemen, and when she comes
of age and the local lord comes for her, her father weds her off to save her.
Kyra, though, refuses, and she journeys out on her own, into the dangerous
wood—where she encounters a wounded dragon and ignites a series of events that
will change the course of the kingdom forever.
15 year old Alec, meanwhile, sacrifices for his brother, taking his place in
the draft, and is carted off to The Flames, a wall of flames a hundred feet
high that keeps back the army of Trolls to the north. On the other side of the
kingdom, Merk, a mercenary striving to leave behind his dark past, quests
through the wood to become a Keeper of the Towers and help guard the Sword of
Fire, the magical source of the kingdom’s power. But the Trolls want the Sword,
too—and they have other plans, preparing for a massive invasion that could
destroy the kingdoms forever.
With its strong atmosphere and complex characters, RISE OF THE DRAGONS is a
sweeping saga of knights and warriors, of kings and lords, of honor and valor,
of magic, destiny, monsters and dragons. It is a story of love and broken
hearts, of deception, of ambition and betrayal. It is fantasy at its finest,
inviting us into a world that will live with us forever, one that will appeal
to all ages and genders.
“[An] entertaining epic fantasy.”
—Kirkus Reviews
(regarding A Quest of Heroes)
“The beginnings of something
remarkable are there.”
--San Francisco Book Review
(regarding A Quest of Heroes)
“Action-packed …. Rice's writing
is solid and the premise intriguing.”
--Publishers Weekly
(regarding A Quest of Heroes)
“A spirited fantasy ….Only the
beginning of what promises to be epic young adult series.”
--Midwest Book Review
(regarding A Quest of Heroes)
(KINGS AND
SORCERERS—BOOK 1)
Books by Morgan
Rice
KINGS AND SORCERERS
RISE OF THE
DRAGONS (Book #1)
THE SORCERER’S
RING
A
QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1)
A MARCH OF KINGS (Book #2)
A FATE OF
DRAGONS (Book #3)
A CRY OF HONOR
(Book #4)
A VOW OF GLORY
(Book #5)
A CHARGE OF VALOR (Book #6)
A RITE OF SWORDS (Book #7)
A GRANT OF ARMS
(Book #8)
A SKY OF SPELLS (Book #9)
A SEA OF SHIELDS
(Book #10)
A REIGN OF STEEL (Book #11)
A LAND OF FIRE (Book #12)
A RULE OF QUEENS (Book #13)
AN OATH OF BROTHERS (Book #14)
A DREAM OF MORTALS (Book #15)
A JOUST OF
KNIGHTS (Book #16)
THE GIFT OF BATTLE (Book #17)
THE SURVIVAL
TRILOGY
ARENA ONE: SLAVERSUNNERS (Book #1)
ARENA TWO (Book #2)
THE VAMPIRE
JOURNALS
TURNED (Book #1)
LOVED (Book #2)
BETRAYED (Book #3)
DESTINED (Book
#4)
DESIRED (Book
#5)
BETROTHED (Book #6)
VOWED (Book #7)
FOUND (Book #8)
RESURRECTED
(Book #9)
CRAVED (Book #10)
FATED (Book #11)
About Morgan
Rice
Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and
USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER’S RING,
comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS,
comprising eleven books (and counting); of the #1 bestselling series THE
SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising two books (and
counting); and of the new epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS. Morgan’s
books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available
in over 25 languages.
TURNED
(Book #1 in the Vampire Journals),
ARENA
ONE
(Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), and
A
QUEST OF HEROES
(Book #1 in the Sorcerer’s Ring) are each available as a
free download on Amazon, and
RISE
OF THE DRAGONS
(Kings and Sorcerers—Book 1) is now available for pre-order!
Morgan loves to hear from you, so please
feel free to visit
www.morganricebooks.com
to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, download
the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter,
and stay in touch!