Sword — William Thrash

Leaving home and a life he did not desire, Taren sets out to join the Provincial Army and fight in a civil war brought on by the Shadowmasters. Finally entering the army, Taren is unprepared for the shock of change. Struggling to expand his grasp of shadow while training to be a soldier, he catches the attention of shadow users in the army. Having to hide Forven's book and the sword doesn't make things easier. Further, some of the shadow users appear quite hostile and threatening to Taren. Cryptkeeper and Soulcleaver put Taren in a great sense of unease. Krolassen Taren Morr must navigate treacherous threats to become a soldier. Once at the front, he must face the realization that the war is bigger than his naive imagination. In the end, he is swept up in a daring move that could send him to the executioner. SWORD will be followed by the book SHADOW. There will be no fourth book. There will be no spin-offs. SWORD ends in something close to a cliffhanger.