Showing results by author "D. K. Holmberg" in All Categories

The best of Deep Magic: Volume 1—fantastical worlds of space adventures, changelings, and dragons await—stories with depth, strong protagonists, high tension, all told while pulling at your heartstrings, or making you smile with understanding. In this volume, you'll find twenty-two stories, including many novelettes. Go on adventures from deep space to ancient Rome (with magic), to Mars, and many other new fantasy worlds.

Fresh off a victory against the Forgotten, and with unexpected allies, Rsiran knows that the war is far from over. An attack on someone close to him in the city leads to a search for answers, and he once again must confront the secrets hidden by his family. When he discovers a part of his people's history long forgotten, he realizes it might hold the key to what Venass really wants...and possibly the means to stopping them.

Rsiran is a disappointment to his family, gifted with the ability to Slide. It is a dark magic, one where he can transport himself wherever he wants, but using it will only turn him into the thief his father fears. Forbidden from Sliding, he's apprenticed under his father as a blacksmith where lorcith, a rare, precious metal with arcane properties, calls to him, seducing him into forming forbidden blades. When discovered, he's banished, sentenced indefinitely to the mines of Ilphaesn Mountain.

Now that his sister knows of the dragons, Jason doesn't feel as isolated in their small village. The connection to the dragons lets him protect his people along with the existence of the dragons. An attack on his home village forces Jason to go to Lachen and stop Therin for good. To do so, he'll need the help of all the dragon misfits, but can the forest dragon help him master the art of illusion in time for him to save his people?

The Chain Breaker series continues with The Paper Dragon. A dark power that attacks Yoran leads Gavin on a dangerous journey. Gavin remains in Yoran while struggling to master his El’aras abilities. With the power of the strange ring that grants him even more power, he knows he has to learn control, otherwise he’ll destroy the city while trying to protect it. When the hyadan, creatures of dark sorcery, come to the city, Gavin has to make a choice between staying to learn control over his power or helping Imogen.

With the threat of rogue elementals escaping from the element bond and fear of another attack by the Draasin Lord, life at the edge of Terndahl is difficult for Tolan. Without any magic of his own, he spends his days working a menial job as a carpenter’s apprentice. When an elemental attack draws the attention of the Inquisitors from the Academy, everything changes.

The true spirit master remains at large. Tolan might be the only one able to stop him, but he must find the truth within himself first. The element bonds, for so long the primary way to reach the power of the elements, have been tainted. The threat Tolan has long feared has revealed himself but escaped before his plan could be stopped. Now, Tolan and his allies must travel beyond the waste to search for answers. The journey again takes him away from his teaching responsibilities.

Fire essence flows through the kingdom. But it isn’t the only kind of essence. Desire to understand his strange essence pushes Rob. He’s left his village, but now he’ll need to leave the kingdom and all that is familiar for him to get the answers he craves. What he finds leads him to question if his essence is corrupted. With an essence like his, how will he ever master it enough to evolve? As the icy Spread pushes toward the Borderlands, the only way for Rob to find his answers is out in the Spread—but doing so may cost him everything. Dragon Touched is book 3 in an exciting new ...

Jason has returned to the normalcy of the mountain village, but nothing is as it had been. Now connected to the Ice Dragon and responsible for keeping his presence a secret, it won't be long before the Dragon Souls return. They know the Ice Dragon exists and will stop at nothing to control him. When the Ice Dragon makes a request of Jason to search for other dragons like him, how can he refuse? The search leads Jason away from home and into direct conflict with those searching for another dragon misfit.

An ancient artifact that must be found... Terrifying creatures from dark and dangerous Incendin... And long-forgotten elementals again unleashed on the world. As an earth senser, Tan is tasked with helping guide the king's servant through the dangerous mountain passes in search of the artifact before Incendin can reach it first. But after losing his father to the war, Tan wants nothing to do with the king's demands.

Jason has secured a tentative peace for Dragon Haven. With his control over illusion, and the Lorach threat thwarted for now, his time is spent preparing for the next attack, knowing the Dragon Souls will not be easily stopped. An old ally to Dragon Haven returns, but Jason questions his motives - along with his techniques. Now, Jason must choose whether to stop the Dragon Souls or save them. Stopping Lorach for good might mean destroying the captured dragons. It's a choice Jason fears to make, but doing otherwise means betraying those who have come to rely upon him.

The magic of the Raven Queen ensures peace and stability. Some would see that time change. Lan and Sophie cannot move on from the deadly attack. Both train to be ready for another attack, but all has been quiet. Sophie continues to train as a sorcerer, though she has not learned from the Raven Queen as she had hoped. Life in the tower is slow, and Sophie longs for excitement. While on patrol with the young prince, Lan and the Taihg encounter a strange attack. The rest of the Taihg are sent to investigate, but Lan is left behind, where he searches on his own. Danger lurks closer than any ...

The dragons are gone, leaving behind their essence for those who follow. Firewater is sacred. Touched by the power of the dragons, those who consume it can become more like those ancient beings. Most become dragon forged, their bodies strengthened to help fight the dangerous creatures attacking the valley. But firewater didn’t change Rob. When invaders threaten to destroy his people, what Rob discovers may save all he cares about—and provide the key to forging his own power. Dragon Forged is book 1 in an exciting new progression fantasy series!

Trained to kill from a young age, Gavin Lorren finally escaped that life. No more killing innocents. No more working alone. Holed up in a quiet city that has outlawed magic, Gavin finds himself drawn into dangers unlike any he’s ever faced before. Each job tests him more than the last, and each tied to the kind of magic he’d hoped to avoid.

After discovering the Inquisitor’s plot within the Academy, Tolan is offered a chance to go with his father and learn from the Draasin Lord. Doing so not only means turning against the Academy and everything he has come to know, but means the Inquisitors will succeed in their plan. When the Grand Master comes to him asking a dangerous favor, Tolan must make a choice that might bring him into direct contact with the Draasin Lord. Everything he’s been taught about the elementals and the Draasin Lord is wrong.

Trained to kill from a young age, Gavin Lorren finally escaped that life. No more killing innocents. No more working alone. The jobs are still dangerous, but at least he can choose. Now an old friend has invited him to the city of Yoran where the work is plentiful. The Roasted Dragon tavern is rough but cozy. The regulars are seedy but welcoming. The owner, Jessica, is fond of him. It's almost too good to be true.

The key to finding the one responsible for the attack on Terndahl involves crossing the waste, but is Tolan willing to risk the tenuous peace they've achieved for revenge? Now a master shaper, Tolan must serve the Academy, but he understands the risk his mother poses. While others want to study the power out on the waste, Tolan sees the need to look beyond Terndahl. His mother remains at large, and they still don’t know her ultimate goal.

The Inquisitors have been stopped, but the one who leads them remains at large. Tolan discovers a dangerous plot against the Academy - and all of Terndahl - the Inquisitors have planned for far longer than any have suspected. The power involved is unlike anything ever encountered by those within the Academy. Tolan isn’t sure he’s capable of understanding what has happened, but with his connection to the elementals, he might be the only one able. The key to what’s happening is tied to something in Tolan’s past.

Zarinth is a dangerous city at the edge of the kingdom, illuminated by the constant fire of the nearby volcano Ishantil. For thief Ty, it’s more than a city filled with valuable ancient dragon relics. It’s the home he could never leave. Ty wants one last score before finally leaving the city—and his past behind. All while the notorious Dragon Thief chases the same prize. The Dragon Thief has a reputation for a reason, but Ty begins to think there’s more to the job than he ever expected. If he succeeds, he might stop a war.

Contains all five books in The Endless War series.