Age of Swords Read online

  Sebek (Fhrey, Instarya): The best warrior of the Galantians. He uses two cleve blades named Thunder and Lightning.

  Second Chair: The honorific position held by the spouse of the chieftain.

  Shahdi: The non-Instarya military group charged with maintaining order in Greater Erivan.

  Sharhasa: An aptitude test given to Fhrey who wish to become Miralyith. Those who pass are granted access to the Estramnadon Academy and learn the ways of the Art.

  Shegon (Fhrey, Asendwayr): A hunter stationed at Alon Rhist to provide the warrior tribe with fresh meat. He was killed by Raithe after Shegon killed Herkimer (Raithe’s father).

  Shield: Also known as shield to the chieftain or chieftain’s shield. The chieftain’s personal bodyguard, and generally the finest warrior of a given clan.

  Siegel (Rhune, Dunn): The chieftain of Clan Dunn.

  Sikar (Fhrey, Instarya): An officer and patrol leader in the Instarya tribe stationed at Alon Rhist. A friend of Nyphron before the Galantian’s desertion.

  Strom: One of the three Gula-Rhune clans. The other two are Dunn and Erling.

  Stump, The (Rhune, Rhen): The Shield to Konniger, The Stump was promised Moya’s hand in marriage—much to Moya’s dismay. He was killed by Konniger when he reconsidered his part in the overthrow of Reglan’s reign.

  Summerule: One of two Rhune holidays (the other is Wintertide). Summerule centers on a huge picnic and a number of athletic competitions.

  Suri (Rhune, Rhen): The illegitimate child of Reglan, who had an affair with Maeve (Dahl Rhen’s Keeper of Ways). She was left to die in the forest, but was saved and raised by a mystic named Tura. She may be the only Rhune known to possess the ability to use the Art. She’s always accompanied by a white wolf named Minna, as the two are best friends.

  Talwara: The official name of the Fhrey’s palace, where the fane resides and rules.

  Tegan (Rhune, Warric): The chieftain of Clan Warric.

  Tekchin (Fhrey, Instarya): One of Nyphron’s band of outlaw Galantians, Tekchin is a rough, outspoken warrior whose preferred weapon is a thin, narrow-bladed sword.

  Ten Clans: The entirety of the Rhune nation, comprising seven Rhulyn clans and three Gula clans.

  Tesh (Rhune, Dureya): The orphan boy who, along with Raithe, is all that remains of the Dureyan clan.

  Tet: A curse word derived from Tetlin Witch.

  Tetlin Witch: The universally hated immortal being thought to be the source of all disease, pestilence, and evil in the world.

  Tirre: The southernmost Rhune dahl. Ruled by Lipit, it sits at the edge of the Blue Sea, across a narrow strait from the Dherg city of Caric.

  Tirreans: Residents of Tirre.

  Torc: A rigid circular necklace that is open in the front. In Rhune society, it is a mark of leadership. The Dherg often bestow a torc as a reward for a great accomplishment.

  Traitor, The: The moniker Mawyndulë bestowed on Arion for her part in First Minister Gryndal’s death while aiding the Rhunes of Dahl Rhen.

  Tressa (Rhune, Rhen): The wife of Konniger, ex-chieftain of Dahl Rhen.

  Trilos (Fhrey, unknown tribal affiliation): A mysterious person obsessed with the Door in the Garden.

  Tura (Rhune, no clan affiliation): An ancient mystic who lived in the Hawthorn Glen near Dahl Rhen; mentor to Suri. She predicted the coming of the Great Famine.

  Uberlin: The god of evil worshipped by the Ghazel. The source of all wickedness in Elan, believed to be the father of the Tetlin Witch.

  Udgar: The chieftain of Clan Erling of the Gula.

  Uli Vermar (the reign of a fane): An event that occurs three thousand years after the crowning of a fane or upon his death, when other Fhrey can challenge to rule. This is done by petitioning the Aquila and being presented with the Horn of Gylindora.

  Umalyn: The Fhrey tribe of priests and priestesses who concern themselves with spiritual matters and the worship of Ferrol.

  Urum River: A north–south Avrlyn river west of the Bern, and the place where Raithe would like to make a new start.

  Valentryne Layartren: A room within the great tower of Avempartha that allows multiple Artists to join forces and work as one. It’s particularly useful for locating people.

  Vasek (Fhrey, Asendwayr): The Master of Secrets.

  Vellum: Fine parchment perfected by the Dherg for drawing maps, made from the skins of young animals.

  Vernes: The Rhune port city that grew up directly below Dahl Tirre.

  Vertumus (Fhrey, Instarya): The personal assistant to Petragar.

  Vidar (Fhrey, Miralyith): The senior councilor of the Aquila representing the Miralyith tribe and new tutor to Prince Mawyndulë.

  Volhoric (Fhrey, Umalyn): The senior councilor of the Aquila representing the Umalyn tribe. He also holds the position of Conservator of the Aquila.

  Vorath (Fhrey, Instarya): A member of Nyphron’s Galantians. He has taken to the Rhune custom of wearing a beard. His weapons of choice are flails, maces, and morning stars.

  Warric: One of the seven Rhulyn-Rhune clans, ruled by Chieftain Tegan.

  West Puddle: The more affluent area of the Rhen settlement in Tirre.

  Wogan: The name by which the spirit of nature is known in and around the Crescent Forest.

  Yarhold: The home city of the Grenmorians.

  Ylfe: The Fhrey pronunciation of the derogatory Dherg term elf.

  Zephyron (Fhrey, Instarya): The father of Nyphron, killed by Lothian during the challenge for fane upon Fenelyus’s death. Lothian killed Zephyron in an unusually gruesome fashion to make a point about Miralyith superiority and the folly of challenging their rule.

  This book is dedicated to Tim Gerard Reynolds, the narrator of my Elan novels, whose vocal interpretations breathe life into mere letters, give voice to my imagination, and make me sound better than I am. Thanks, Tim, I owe you another dinner, and sorry for disrupting the recording sessions by making you laugh.

  Acknowledgments

  From time to time, I’m asked whether I would consider collaborating with someone to create a shared book. My immediate response is: “I don’t play well with others, so collaboration would be difficult.” That is indeed true: I’m a pretty solitary old curmudgeon and very particular about my writing. But when it comes time to write my acknowledgments, it becomes immediately clear to me that I do collaborate, and it is because of the talents and hard work of many people that you have this product before you.

  Simply stated, I have a lot of people who make me look better than I am, and I would be feckless not to point out their amazing contributions. If you have read my other acknowledgments, you’ll see some familiar names. That’s because when I find someone who is as exceptional as these people, why would I go looking for anyone else?

  I hope you saw the dedication at the front of the book. It went out to Tim Gerard Reynolds, for whom I couldn’t have more respect. I’ve seen Tim’s career blossom over the years, and I’m so happy about that. My only hope is that with his continued success, he’ll still have time to narrate my books. I couldn’t imagine any voice other than his telling my tales.

  Audiobooks are such an important format for me, and there are several people at Recorded Books I would like to thank. Andy Paris saw the wisdom of pairing Tim with my stories, and I think all my listeners are as grateful as me for that. Brian Sweeny and Troy Juliar are the ones who picked up my works for audio production in the first place. They have continued their faith in my writing with generous offers for the Legends of the First Empire series, and I love their enthusiasm for producing more of my work in the future. I’d also like to thank John Nebel, our recording engineer, who has an eagle’s eye and fine-tuned ear. I’m impressed that John is also writing musicals, something that takes incredible talent, and Robin and I wish him great success with that.

  Speaking of incredible talent, once again the exceptional artwork of Marc Simonetti graces the cover of this book. For those who don’t know, Marc has provided the amazing artwork for not only Age of Swords
but also the French editions of The Crown Conspiracy, Avempartha, and Nyphron Rising. He’s also created covers for the English-language editions of Hollow World, The Death of Dulgath, and Age of Myth. The last two titles have won him back-to-back Stabby Awards for best fantasy artwork, given out by the wonderful people at the /r/Fantasy sub on reddit—a distinction that is well deserved. Thank you, Marc, and I’m already excited to see the final versions of Age of War. The initial concepts blew me away.

  If you request a copy of The Making of Age of Swords (the bonus material I talked about in my author’s note), then you’ll see a bit about how much my copy editors have contributed to this book. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: You, ladies, have saved me from looking like an utter fool. Both Laura Jorstad and Linda Branam have been with me now through multiple books, and my sincerest hope is that they’ll continue with me for many more. I owe you both a debt of gratitude for your talent and incredible attention to detail.

  As some may know, I’m what’s referred to as a hybrid author—someone who releases books both through a traditional publisher and as an indie. When self-publishing, I have only myself to worry about with regard to whether a book will be successful or not. If one were to fail, I’m the only one who would feel the pain. When I traditionally publish, I feel a sense of responsibility for those who have stood up and said, “This book deserves to be out there.” I’m especially cognizant that they put their reputations on the line by putting faith in me. It’s an obligation I take quite seriously, and I hope I’ve lived up to their trust. So I want to start out by thanking Laurie McLean from Fuse Literary Agency (who initially sold the first three books of this series), Joshua Bilmes from JABberwocky Literary Agency (my current agent, who is selling the books overseas and has generously helped me and Del Rey work out a release plan that allows new Riyria tales to hit the streets while accelerating the releases of the Legends of the First Empire books), and most especially Tricia Narwani, my editor at Del Rey. She is talented, trustworthy, and a fabulous advocate for me and my work.

  Both Tricia and Joshua read and provided excellent feedback for Age of Swords, but they were not the only ones who contributed to the final product. I want to also thank the best beta reader team an author could hope to have. These people work without compensation, under a tight deadline, and always provide great insight. While not all the beta readers wanted to be acknowledged publicly, my appreciation goes out to every one of them. My deepest thanks to Robert S. Aldrich, Michael Jay Brunt, Kyle Campbell, Jeffrey Carr, Greg Clinton, Paul Dunlap, Louise Faering, Daniel E. Foley, Cathy Fox, Christopher Haught, Sarah and Nathaniel Kidd, Amy Lesniak-Briggs, Joseph C. Martin III, Richard Martin, T. Anders Mikkelsen, Elizabeth Ocskay, Beth Rosser, and Melanie Sanderson.

  No one but myself will ever know the full extent of the contributions made by my wife, Robin. Her passion, her dedication, and the incredibly long hours she has put into this (and all my books) have had more of an impact than the combined efforts of all the people I’ve written about above. Given the massive contributions of those people, that’s saying a great deal. I’m certain that her hours on each book far exceed my own. Again, you can learn more about what she does in The Making of Age of Swords. For those who don’t pick up their free copy, here are just some of Robin’s responsibilities: alpha reader, structural editor, line editor, beta test administrator, project manager, business manager, marketing guru, and liaison to my agents, editors, publicists, and various sales and marketing people. The copyediting, which she managed, on this book was especially challenging due to some scheduling issues. In a perfect world, we would have Linda and Laura do their work serially. In other words, Linda would make her changes first, then Laura would add her revisions to Linda’s. To meet the schedule, they had to do their work in parallel, which meant Robin had to collate their changes and deal with my additions from the final read. This was a monumental and time-consuming task and significantly improved the quality of the book.

  Before I go, I would once again thank you, my readers, for your enthusiastic support of my work. In a time rampant with piracy and a mindset of “all art should be free,” it’s encouraging to see people willing to pay for books. Your money provides salaries for the people I mentioned above, and gives me the luxury of living a life I love. I’ve always said that I write the books I want to read, which is very true. But I also feel a responsibility to you (just as I do to my publishers). I’ll always strive to provide you with the best book I can produce, and forever be grateful for your support.

  BY MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN

  THE LEGENDS OF THE FIRST EMPIRE

  Age of Myth • Age of Swords

  Forthcoming: Age of War • Age of Legends • Age of Wonder • Age of Empire

  THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS

  Theft of Swords (contains The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha)

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

  Heir of Novron (contains Wintertide and Percepliquis)

  THE RIYRIA CHRONICLES

  The Crown Tower

  The Rose and the Thorn

  The Death of Dulgath

  The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter

  STANDALONE NOVEL

  Hollow World

  ANTHOLOGIES

  Unfettered: The Jester (Fantasy: The Riyria Chronicles)

  Blackguards: Professional Integrity (Fantasy: The Riyria Chronicles)

  Unbound: The Game (Fantasy: Contemporary)

  Unfettered II: Little Wren and the Big Forest (Fantasy: The First Empire)

  The End: Visions of the Apocalypse: Burning Alexandria (Dystopian Science Fiction)

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

  The Fantasy-Faction Anthology: Autumn Mists (Fantasy: Contemporary)

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

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN is the bestselling author of the Riyria Revelations and Riyria Chronicles series. Like most authors, his road to publication has been both a lifelong dream and a difficult road to travel. Michael was just eight years old when he discovered a manual typewriter in the basement of a friend’s house during a game of hide-and-seek. He inserted a blank piece of paper and channeled the only writer he knew at the time…Charles M. Schulz’s Snoopy. Yes, he actually typed the iconic line: It was a dark and stormy night.

  That spark ignited a flame, and the desire to fill blank pages became an obsession. As an adult, Michael spent more than ten years developing his craft by studying authors such as Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, and John Steinbeck. During that time, he wrote thirteen novels but found no traction in publishing. So he did the only sane thing he could think of (since insanity is repeating the same act but expecting a different result), he quit writing altogether and vowed never to write creatively again.

  Michael stayed away from writing for over a decade and returned to the keyboard in his forties…but with one condition: He wouldn’t seek publication. Instead, he wrote a series of books that had been forming in his head during his hiatus. Michael’s first reading love had been fantasy, and his hope was to foster an appreciation for the genre in his then thirteen-year-old daughter, who struggled with the written word due to severe dyslexia.

  After reading the third book of this series, his wife, Robin, insisted that the novels needed to get out there. When Michael refused to jump back onto the query-go-round, she took over the publication tasks and has run the business side of his writing career ever since, and things have been going quite well. Michael has sold nearly one million copies, made the #2 spot on the Washington Post’s Hardcover Bestseller List, been nominated for five Goodreads’ Choice Awards, and his books have appeared on more than 200 best-of or most-anticipated lists including those compiled by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Library Journal, and Audible.com. He’s current working on his next Riyria Chronicle novel, The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter.

  michael.sullivan.dc@gmail
.com

  riyria.com

  Facebook.com/​author.michael.sullivan

  Twitter: @author_sullivan

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