The First Warrior - Paperback

Old King's Walk is the kind of village most maps forget, a handful of cottages tucked under winter mountains in the Kingdom of Lionel. For Elric Shaddar, that is never been a problem. He has a roof, a family that chose him, and a stern guardian named Dratmar who believes discipline can keep the world from falling apart. He also has Jaime Durandal at his side, steady as a drawn blade, and a house full of younger siblings who make the hard years feel lighter.

Then the goblins come.

When raiders strike in the night and drag villagers into the mountains, Elric and Jaime do what they were trained to do, they move. Their chase winds into twisting caves and brutal traps, where every wrong turn costs blood and every victory leaves a scar. They will face a Goblin King, free captives who never should have been taken, and learn that some losses do not heal clean.

The road that follows pulls them far beyond the safety of home, into a city where guards wear corruption like a badge, and into alliances with people the world calls cursed or strange. Joined by Elisah; a Shadow Touched rogue who moves with the dark, and Rygial; a dwarven wizard with a dangerous knack for bending time. Together, they are thrown into a widening war they do not fully understand, one that stretches from swamp and drake to fortress and mage.

As the truth behind the raids begins to surface, Elric's own body starts to change in ways the old stories warned about. In a world shaped by the Three Dragons, Above, Here, and Below, a legend called Warrior might be waking up in him, and Elric must decide what it means to carry power meant for protection.

He wanted to be a good person in a small place. The world has other plans.