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

Kanar Reas, an ex-soldier known as the Blackheart, hides a dangerous secret. Exiled from the Realmsguard, he wants nothing to do with the kind of magic that destroyed his life. That is until his team of mercenaries is offered a job they can’t refuse.

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 ...

He walked away from war. But war didn’t walk away from him. Zaren Joha was once a soldier—disciplined, deadly, and disillusioned. Now he keeps peace in a quiet riverside tavern, trading command for calm and blades for ale. It’s not a grand life, but it’s his. Until Waleith arrives. Mysterious, calculating, and wielding authority straight from the Queen’s inner circle, Waleith pulls Zaren into a world of vanishing outposts, forbidden magic, and assassins cloaked in royal approval. What begins as a simple job quickly spirals into something far darker. Old instincts resurface. So do ...

The powerful draasin - elemental creatures of fire not seen for a thousand years - have returned. Not all are convinced they should have been freed. As Tan struggles to learn earth shaping, he discovers dangerous fire shapers from Incendin have come to Ethea. When the city is attacked by the draasin, Tan must use his connection with them to learn why. Doing so leads him from the city and forces him to once more face the terrible shapers of Incendin, but this time bound to the draasin for help.

Having defeated Chauvan, Gavin now controls the strange destructive nihilar power. Though content back among his friends, his presence in Yoran makes the city a target. When Gavin learns that an ancient enemy has returned to target the El’aras, he wants to help, but doing so exposes Yoran to whatever Chauvan plans. He’s learned he can’t defeat Gavin alone, but what kind of allies will he find? Ancient powers are active in the world, and they all seem intent on destroying Gavin. As preparations go awry, Gavin finds himself far from those he vowed to protect.

Gavin has left the only friends he’d ever made to study his El’aras magic. Though he may share their heritage, he quickly learns that he’s not El’aras. When an attack targets them, and has the ability to counter any El’aras ability, Gavin is all that prevents certain devastation. Understanding the attack and who is behind it leads Gavin to uncover the truth about his mentor - and there is much Tristan never shared. There has been another Champion, and he’ll stop at nothing to claim a destructive power he believes he’s fated to control. Only Gavin stands in his way.

Rob must learn to control his icy essence, or he’ll fall before the Ice King. Having discovered the icy threat behind the Spread, Rob struggles to master control over his essence. None from the Dragon Queen’s kingdom can teach him, and the Borderlanders know only life essence. The only way to learn is to cross the Spread and find someone able to teach. What he finds reveals a greater truth about his pure ice essence, where he discovers he may be the key to stopping the Ice King, but only if Rob can progress before he’s destroyed. Dragon Heart is book 4 in an exciting new progression ...

After stopping two attacks on the kingdom, Ashan yearns to master his connection to the dragons and finally serve as a dragon mage. He has connected to a cycle of dragons, but he's still only a student and doesn't understand what it truly means to be a dragon mage.

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.

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!

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.

In the city of Verdholm, canals separate the highborns in the center sections of the city from the lowborns along the outer sections. The city is isolated, surrounded by a deadly swamp and steam fields which should protect the people of the city from the dangerous outside world. Until it doesn't. For Sam, an orphaned thief who wants only to protect her brother, protection means stealing enough so she can one day buy her way into a better section. She's a skilled thief, and when she's offered a job that can change everything for her, what choice does she have but to take it?

Stories claim the Pale Princess was a powerful sorcerer who once saved the world from a dangerous magic. Only a few know the truth. Lan and Sophie lead a simple life with their grandparents, though both long for more. When their grandparents are murdered during a strange magical attack, their lives will be forever changed. For Sophie, she's brought to a palace where she lives a luxurious life, while trying to understand what the strange sorcerer Ridaln wants from her. When she discovers a talent with magic, she learns poses that give her access to power that she had only heard about in the ...

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.

Tan now serves as Athan. The remaining draasin have bonded. Elle and all of Doma have been saved. And Par-Shon has been defeated. Tan knows the victory is short lived. Par-Shon knows how to obscure their shapers, and they could hide anywhere. When Tan discovers Par-shon shapers within the kingdoms, a dangerous and wild elemental is released. As Tan tries to defend his bonds, he learns the terrible history of this elemental, one that the draasin would hide from him.

Having barely survived the Lands Beyond, Tolan recuperates while preparing for the next attack. His closest allies are gone, leaving him floundering for answers, along with his place in the Academy. Tolan must protect Terndahl, before the elementals attack. After years spent teaching others the elementals were no danger, he fears the repercussions of changing course. When even an elemental warrior might not be enough, Tolan must find the elemental nature within him.

A hidden power. A forbidden cargo. A soldier-turned-guardian must choose between duty and truth. Zaren Joha was forged for war—but now serves as the Queen’s Blade, the last magical sentinel of Busal City. Tasked with protecting the realm from arcane threats, he uncovers a shipment laced with strange powder and powerful secrets. What begins as a simple investigation unravels a deeper conspiracy—one that stretches into the heart of the Queen’s court and challenges everything Zaren thought he knew about magic, loyalty, and himself. As magic stirs in hidden corners and enemies close in ...

Executioners don’t solve crimes; they punish those who commit them. Or, so Finn thought before apprenticed to one. Poverty-stricken Finn Jagger would give anything to heal his ailing mother. With his father imprisoned, Finn has joined a thieving crew to earn the money he needs to save her. When the latest heist turns to disaster and lands him on death row, Finn’s future seems to be tied up with a noose. Until the king’s executioner claims him as an apprentice. Finn soon learns an executioner has far more power and greater responsibility than he’d ever realized.

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.

Torian Ranth wants nothing more than to master his sahir magic. Having spent years training, he still can’t form even his primary patterns consistently, let alone attempt any higher tiered power. His continued failures mean that his time in school must come to an end.