Age of Empyre Read online

  Praise for Sullivan’s Work

  “Age of Myth bears the hallmark storytelling genius that we have all come to love of Michael’s work. It’s fast-paced, intimate, and beautifully cultivated.” — Fantasy Book Review on Age of Myth

  “Sullivan’s ability to craft an engaging and captivating fantasy world surpasses most any other fantasy author out there, and puts him alongside names like Sanderson and Jordan.” — Fantasy Book Review on Age of Swords

  “In this powerful third book (after Age of Swords) of a projected six-book series, Sullivan continues providing excellent world building and character development . . . Sullivan also gifts readers with complex lives for his characters, filled with tests, triumphs, and tragedies . . . Sullivan’s fans will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly on Age of War

  “All I can say, after the wild ride I have been on, is that I NEED to read the next installment in this series, Age of Death, as soon as possible!” — Genre Minx Book Reviews on Age of Legend

  “Age of Death took an astounding turn in the direction of the overall story, and it was brilliant!” — Novel Notions on Age of Death

  “Riyria has everything you could possibly wish for: the characters are some of the best I’ve ever encountered in fantasy literature, the writing is top notch, and the plotting is so tight you’d be hard-pressed to find a mouse hole in it.” — B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog

  “This epic fantasy showcases the arrival of a master storyteller.” — Library Journal on Theft of Swords

  “A delightful, entertaining and page-turning read that reminds us just how enjoyable, and how good The Riyria Revelations series is. A must-buy for all fantasy lovers.” — The Founding Fields on Rise of Empire

  “Heir of Novron is the conclusion to the Riyria Revelations, cementing it in a position as a new classic of modern fantasy: traditional in setting, but extremely unconventional in, well, everything else.” — Drying Ink on Heir of Novron

  “Snappy banter, desperate stakes, pulse-pounding sword play, and good old-fashioned heroics are all on full display here.” — 52 Book Reviews on The Crown Tower

  “With less gore and a smaller cast of characters than George R.R. Martin’s “Song of Ice & Fire” but equally satisfying, Sullivan’s epic fantasy will be gaining fans at exponential rates.” — Library Journal on The Rose and the Thorn

  “No question about it, this book is another winner, bringing back everything I love about Riyria: great characters, great setting, great story. I really couldn’t have asked for more.” — The Speculative Herald on The Death of Dulgath

  “Another tale full of twists, turns and that brand of humour only Royce and Hadrian can provide. The absolute best literary duo ever—EVER.” — Scott Vout, beta reader on The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter

  About the Book

  (From the Back Cover)

  A door opens. An army of dragons advances. And the fate of the living rests with the dead.

  After obtaining the secret to creating dragons, the leader of the Fhrey has turned the tide of war once more—but gaining the advantage has come at a terrible price. While Imaly plots to overthrow the fane for transgressions against his people, a mystic and a Keeper are the only hope for the Rhunes. Time is short, and the future of both races hangs in the balance. In this exciting conclusion to the Legends of the First Empire series, the Great War finally comes to a climactic end, and with it dawns a new era—The Age of Empyre.

  From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Michael J. Sullivan comes the concluding installment of his six-book epic fantasy. This series chronicles a pivotal point in Elan’s history when humans and those they once saw as gods warred until a new world order was born. Set three thousand years before the Riyria tales, Legends is a stand-alone fantasy series that is independent of the Riyria novels. But for those who do follow both series, Legends will unmask lies and reveal the truth about Elan’s history and the men and women who shaped what the world became.

  Works by Michael J. Sullivan

  Novels

  The Legends of the First Empire

  Age of Myth • Age of Swords • Age of War • Age of Legend • Age of Death • Age of Empyre

  The Rise and the Fall

  Nolyn (Summer 2021) • Farilane (Summer 2022) • Esrahaddon (Summer 2023)

  The Riyria Revelations

  Theft of Swords (contains The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha)

  Rise of Empire (contains Nyphron Rising & The Emerald Storm)

  Heir of Novron (contains Wintertide & Percepliquis)

  The Riyria Chronicles

  The Crown Tower • The Rose and the Thorn • The Death of Dulgath • The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter

  Forthcoming: Drumindor

  Blood of Thieves (contains The Crown Tower & The Rose and the Thorn)

  Standalone Novels

  Hollow World (Sci-fi Thriller)

  Short Story Anthologies

  Heroes Wanted: “The Ashmoore Affair” (Fantasy: Riyria Chronicles)

  Unfettered: “The Jester” (Fantasy: Riyria Chronicles)

  Unbound: “The Game” (Fantasy: Contemporary)

  Unfettered II: “Little Wren and the Big Forest” (Fantasy: The Legends of the First Empire)

  Blackguards: “Professional Integrity” (Fantasy: Riyria Chronicles)

  The End: Visions of the Apocalypse: “Burning Alexandria” (Dystopian Sci-fi)

  Triumph Over Tragedy: “Traditions” (Fantasy: Tales from Elan)

  The Fantasy Faction Anthology: “Autumn Mist” (Fantasy: Contemporary)

  Help Fund My Robot Army: “Be Careful What You Wish For” (Fantasy: Contemporary)

  Individual Short Stories

  “Pile of Bones” (Fantasy: The Legends of the First Empire)

  Age of Empyre is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the copying, scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book (other than for review purposes) without permission is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this book, prior written permission can be obtained by contacting the author at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Age of Empyre © 2020 by Michael J. Sullivan

  Cover illustration © 2020 by Marc Simonetti

  Cover design © 2019 Michael J. Sullivan

  Map © 2016 by David Lindroth

  ebook design © 2020 Robin Sullivan

  ebook version: 1.02

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Riyria Enterprises, LLC

  Print book distributed by Grim Oak Press

  Learn more about Michael’s writings at www.riyria.com

  To contact Michael, email him at [email protected]

  Michael’s Novels Include:

  The First Empire Series: Age of Myth • Age of Swords • Age of War • Age of Legend • Age of Death • Age of Empyre

  Coming soon: Nolyn • Farilane • Esrahaddon

  The Riyria Revelations: Theft of Swords • Rise of Empire • Heir of Novron

  The Riyria Chronicles: The Crown Tower • The Rose and the Thorn • The Death of Dulgath • The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter

  Standalone Titles: Hollow World

  This book is dedicated to everyone who has sacrificed their freedom,

  employment, businesses, and loved ones during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

  I have few words to offer when faced with such monumental impacts,

&nb
sp; so I’ll turn to one of my heroes.

  “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

  “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

  — J.R.R. Tolkien

  Stay home, offer thanks to those on the frontlines, and remember that this, too, shall pass.

  Author’s Note

  Hello, and welcome to this final installment of the Legends of the First Empire. This book marks the sixteenth novel in my fictional world of Elan and the conclusion to the age of myths and legends that forms the foundation of my previous series.

  This book is releasing at an unprecedented time in our history. As I write this, it is April 2020. The Coronavirus Pandemic is rampant throughout the world, and people are sequestered in “lockdowns”—families trapped in involuntary staycations. Early Kickstarter readers, who seem to be hoping to escape their four walls and perhaps the daily news, have been flooding my inbox with emails, clamoring for the book. Robin and I have struggled, but we managed to keep on schedule for the ebook and audiobook versions. We were thrilled the printer could produce the book at all, and it was just three weeks late.

  While most people have struggled with stay-at-home orders, life here in the valley hasn’t changed much. As most of you already know, we live in a cabin in the mountains of Virginia. Being a fulltime writer with a wife who is my editor, agent, business manager, and publicist means that we have long lived the lives of hermits—by choice. In the past, we have invited people from all over the world to the cabin. We have enjoyed the company of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, retired military generals, famous as well as aspiring authors, fans of my work, and even a few who had no idea who I am or what I do. All of that stopped in 2020, of course, and when we come out on the other side of this, I hope we can return to hosting people. So, if you’re travel plans ever take you to the Luray, Virginia area, drop us an email ([email protected]), and we’ll have you by for a drink.

  For those who cannot come here, there is a possibility that we might come to you. Earlier this year, Robin and I bought a Jeep and a teardrop camper with plans of doing some traveling. Once the virus-imposed restrictions are off, we hope to start. Over the years, several people have said, if you are ever in , let us know, and because we have lived like hermits, we, unfortunately, didn’t write those down. But we now have a system for recording such things, so if this is of interest, you can go to this link, and let us know where you live. If it turns out that we’ll be passing nearby, we’ll see if we can meet up.

  As it turned out, that teardrop camper came at just the right time. Robin became ill at the end of March, and she has been isolating in it. We are hoping she’ll be able to emerge in a few days, but like everyone else, we are erring on the side of caution because we don’t want those measures circumvented by moving too quickly.

  Finishing this book has been interesting, to say the least. Robin and I work via Discord when she isn’t resting to go over typos reported by the gamma and early Kickstarter readers. Usually, we would be in the studio while Tim records (something we always look forward to); however, that wasn’t possible this time. We did receive the dailies and were able to communicate changes via emails. Thanks to Tim’s in-home studio, he was able to stay mainly on schedule, and that saved the audiobook’s release date. As always, our heartfelt thanks go out to Tim and our undying gratitude to the extra work he put in. He had to work alone without an engineer or director, but his efforts meant the audiobook’s release wasn’t affected by the crisis. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Tim for his added hard work.

  So the long journey is finally at an end. I don’t think I’ve fully processed that yet. Getting this book out in May fulfilled a promise Robin made; keeping that pledge was important to her. My hope is that this book has the power—in some small way—to help. I want to think we’ve created something good and lasting that can be shared—a doorway through which you can go to catch your breath, ease some stress, and perhaps even remember how to smile. Here’s hoping that everyone who started reading this series will be able to finish it because that would mean the specter passed by your door. Stay safe. Keep your spirits up. And join with me now for the next, and last, journey into the Legends of the First Empire.

  — Michael J. Sullivan

  April 18, 2020

  World Map

  Maps are problematic on e-readers that don’t have adequate resolution to display them, and for this reason you can access a high-resolution map online.

  Contents

  Praise for Sullivan’s Work

  About the Book

  Works by Michael J. Sullivan

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  World Map

  Chapter 1: Hitting Bottom

  Chapter 2: Seasons Shift to Winter

  Chapter 3: Saving Moya

  Chapter 4: Losing the Light

  Chapter 5: Inconvenient Daughters

  Chapter 6: The Cave

  Chapter 7: Faith on Trial

  Chapter 8: The Past and the Future

  Chapter 9: The Climb

  Chapter 10: Yellow and Rose

  Chapter 11: Alysin

  Chapter 12: Venlyn

  Chapter 13: The Door Opens

  Chapter 14: The Last Meal

  Chapter 15: Breaking the Law

  Chapter 16: Uli Vermar

  Chapter 17: We Call Him Malcolm

  Chapter 18: Dropping Rocks

  Chapter 19: Horizontal Star

  Chapter 20: Unlocking the Key

  Chapter 21: The Sun Goes Down

  Chapter 22: The Horn Blower

  Chapter 23: Losing Weight

  Chapter 24: News from the Tower

  Chapter 25: Mission from God

  Chapter 26: The Man in the Mirror

  Chapter 27: What Do Butterflies Do?

  Chapter 28: The Chariot Race

  Chapter 29: Reunions and Farewells

  Chapter 30: The Challenge

  Chapter 31: Fate of the Future

  Chapter 32: The Book of Brin

  Chapter 33: The First Empyre

  Michael’s Afterword

  Robin’s Afterword

  Kickstarter Backers

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Hitting Bottom

  People often speak about “hitting bottom.” They have no idea what they are talking about. — The Book of Brin

  In the eternal silence and absolute darkness of the Abyss’s unimaginable depths, Iver heard a scream. Faint at first, it grew to a piercing wail then stopped, cut short by a loud clap. Sounds were rare in his neighborhood, light even more so. And yet he did see a dim illumination seeping into the entrance of his cave. Prior to the howl, there had been a rapid series of booms. Iver hadn’t bothered to investigate those, as he wouldn’t have been able to see anything and the effort of crawling would have been wasted.

  But the cry was different. Iver was certain the voice was familiar. Someone had fallen into the Abyss—someone he knew.

  With great effort, he willed himself to stand. Few things drove Iver to such ridiculous extremes as walking, but this was a special occasion. He was certain who had fallen; he recognized that voice—that scream.

  Iver held out his hands, searching for the wall, then followed it around to the narrow crack that formed the entrance to his place. He refused to call it home. Home meant something else: warmth and comfort. Even at the most miserable of times, a home served as a locale with merit, possessing an appeal beyond mere shelter. His cave served only as a place to be, a spot to sit, a hole to hide in.

  He couldn’t recall the last time he’d left his place. This didn’t surprise Iver, as he was finding it increasingly difficult to remember just about anything. He still knew his name—the first part, at least. There had been more, a qualifier o
f some sort, but he couldn’t figure out what that might have been. His life was fading, memories dissolving. The last significant event he could summon up was meeting Edvard, a Gula of Clan Erling. Iver had only been dead a short time when the man had beaten and dragged Iver to the cliff. It wasn’t until he was falling that Iver realized why the man threw him over the edge. From high above, the Gula shouted, “This is for my wife, Reanna, you fat bastard! May you forever rot.”

  Iver had expected something horrifying waiting at the bottom. What he had found was nothing, which turned out to be even worse.

  But now . . .

  Creeping out of the cave, Iver saw a white glow coming off something on the ground not far away. At that distance, it appeared to be a bag of something, clothes perhaps. He remembered those. Drawing nearer, he saw it was a person. He shouldn’t have been surprised. The biggest event in what felt like a century had turned out to be nothing more than a casualty of some brutal combat. Some poor wretch had fallen into the depths known to all as the Abyss—the absolute bottom from which no one returned.

  He moved closer and found the small frame of a woman with dark, short-cropped hair—or rather what was left of her.

  I’m certain I recognized that scream.

  Iver felt excitement rise for the first time in . . . well, he hadn’t a clue how long it had been. But his high hopes were dashed when Experience chastised him. Not possible. There’s no way it could be her.