Wizard's Stone — Kenneth McDonald

Valen Wolvren has done well for himself. At twenty-five he has everything he wants: wealth, love, and the prestige of leading one of the most famous mercenary companies on the continent. That prestige is only likely to grow as Valen's Wolves return from the North having defeated a notorious warlord and the wizard behind his bid for power.

But Valen's life is about to become much more complicated. The young mercenary lord is about to find out that magic, especially the corrupting potency of soul magic practiced by the late wizard Marzul, can remain deadly and strike out from beyond the grave. To finish the job of defeating this foe Valen must travel to the one place where he swore he would never return -- his home city of Nal Vedaris. There he learns that fame and skill alone are not enough to overcome an artifact with the power to turn friend against friend and sow chaos and destruction in its wake.