The Way of Edan (The Edan Trilogy, #1)

by Philip Chase

their little farmstead

Aww. I love a good farm boy turned hero. 🤓

Teeth tore into his body from everywhere at once.

Goodness…

“We must all play the part Edan has ordained for us, for a far greater outcome than our individual lives is at stake.”

in the place where memories dwell – or at least some imagined impression of them did.

this elf-spirit, this demon sent to devour us! I tell you all now, and whoever says otherwise does not love this people, that this elf-spirit in the semblance of one who walked among us is come for the purpose of deceiving you and taking you while you sleep. You all saw the boy in his father’s arms, and we all know it was an elf that devoured his spirit.”

once an elf takes a spirit, it’s gone forever. The boy’s gone, I tell you. Gone. All that remains is the shell. What stands before you,” he began lowly, but then raised his voice to a fevered pitch, “is a ghost-shadow, a hungry demon, an elf-dwola!”

“Who among you,” asked Stigand, “would follow the counsel to banish Dayraven, son of Edgil, forever from the folk of the Mark and our land, never to return upon pain of death?”

Dayraven sank to his knees. Exiled.

Aw, poor Dayraven :(

A wizard?

You’re a wizard, Dayraven…

“There are those who, in their ignorance, will see us as cruel. They do not understand that, in doing Edan’s will, we are doing the greatest possible kindness this world has ever known. ‘Oft does cruelty to the flesh yield salvation of the spirit.’

Love it! Big allusion to the Abrahamic religions.

Showing itself for an instant, the gruddug resembled a colossal maggot dripping yellowish mucus from its white, translucent, fleshy hide.

Yum…

Putting the knife and scrapers in the bowl, she took up a torch in her other hand and headed out the door.

Ack! The gerund!!

Long and curly red hair

Hawt!

I come from afar seeking that which is woven of words.”

Gnorn frowned. “Those who dwell in the Dweorghlithes are indeed our kind, yet you should know not all Dweorgs love one another.”

It would have taken someone with easy access to Sigseld to place the assassin here.

Prologue

“I hear Dweorg women are as hairy-arsed as the men. Must be like fucking a goat!”

In the distance, the great buildings of Etinstone rose into view like an alien growth sprawling all over the plain.

He could smother the elf-state. Even without training, it was possible to control the thing.

A blur of movement. The world flashed white and then red, and the rough stone of the courtyard slammed into his body. Sweothol rang on the ground.

The power of the Prophet was surely in him, reborn to work Edan’s will.

But it was your mother who had that same eerie way about her.” “What do you mean?” “Reaching inside a person’s head. Not in a bad way, mind. Peaceful like. But still eerie.”

The truth is, it’s easier to see the justice in people you deem to be like you, and far easier to find the wrong in those who differ.”

The sun was a pale, sickly disk appearing once in a while as it struggled to burn through.

“Courage is when you fear shame more than death.”

Dreams die hard, especially those sown in our youth.

The former had gathered up his spilled intestines as, reduced to a squalling child in the face of death, he called for his mother. His eyes fluttered as he tried to stuff his guts back in, and they slithered out of his weakening grasp.

Tell him if he dares enter the combat, I’ll cut off that little prick of his and feed it to a sparrow!”

A friend or lover or child would be a distraction, a weakness that others could exploit.