Soul of Swords progress update & excerpt

20 chapters down, 13 to go, and about 95,000 words written of the rough draft.

Here’s an excerpt from this week’s writing:

Riothamus cast a spell, golden fire flaring around his fingers, and disrupted the flow of power around Romaria. The Old Demon’s dark magic was like a river of molten iron, a sea of blazing flame, and Riothamus barely had the strength to sever it.

The blazing sigil flared and went out, and the Old Demon’s glowing eyes shifted to Riothamus.

“The Guardian of the Tervingi,” said the Old Demon. “Do you really think you can challenge me? That staff you bear? I remember the civilization that created it. I remember the great wizards of the High Elderborn, their spells that could turn the seas to land and flatten mountains to valleys. I saw their cities of glass and crystal, their towers that reached into the sky. I saw this, Guardian…and I set their kingdoms to burn, and now all that remains of them is dust, rubble, and a few tribes of painted savages lurking in the trees. Dust…and that little carved stick you bear. And you think to overcome me?”

-JM