For some characters, their journey came to an end in this book. I was a blubbering wreck when I wrote Athis’s last scene. It was made all the harder because my newborn daughter was sleeping in a sling, strapped to my chest, at the time. Thankfully, I kept her asleep and completed the scene without calamity. In truth, I didn’t know Athis was going to die. I suspected either he or Ilargo would perish in that last battle, but I didn’t know which until I got there.
I tried to rewrite it a few times in my head so that he survived, but it never felt right. That kind of thing can happen from time to time, where I try and exert my influence over the story and I end up a little stuck. My imagination just can’t conjure the right words, especially when it comes to putting words in characters’ mouths. When that happens, I have to let go of whatever I was trying to wedge in and let the story flow organically.
It still hurt like hell to see Athis die though…
And then there’s Russell. Oh Russell… His inevitable end began to take form in my mind when I was writing book 7. I’m glad he was able to make it through to this last one. I have plans for the old wolf, though. I intend to flesh his story out more in the third book of The Ranger Archives, back when Asher met him for the first time. I hope that relieves some of the heartache for you Russell fans, I know it does me. In fact, in The Ranger Archives, we’ll get to see exactly how The Pick-Axe ended up in Asher’s possession.
Getting back to this book, it just felt right, at the end there, to delve right in to Erador. It felt like the elephant in the room to me. Here’s this massive kingdom, equal to Illian, that we know has been under Alijah’s control of years and yet there was a chance we might never know what’s going on over there. The more I thought about it, the more I thought about Gideon. Of all the surviving characters, he had the strongest link to the country. And our new king and queen, Vighon and Inara, would surely have an interest in their neighbouring country.
Gwenyfer and Erador’s troubles just kind of clicked as I wrote the chapter. It felt organic and real and wholly believable. The fact that Gwenyfer and Prince Athis offered an echo of a younger Inara and Vighon was just a satisfying consequence of it all. If you’re like me, you’ve already gone on ahead and started dreaming of what their future might look like.
And how could I ramble on like this if I didn’t talk about Avandriell? Or Ava, as Asher sometimes calls her. Theirs was a union a thousand years and 9 books in the making! I must admit, I’m tempted to write more books about them after the events of The Echoes Saga, but we’ll have to see. Mostly, I just loved the transformation that took place within Asher. In a couple of weeks I’m going to make a start on Asher’s first prequel novel and I’m aware that he’s going to be drastically different to the Asher I’ve had in my head for so long. I’m looking forward to the challenge of it as well as the adventure.
Speaking of challenges, I feel like I could talk and talk about this last book, if not the whole saga, for another 50,000 words. I think, instead, after everyone has had the chance to read it, I will do something like a Q&A on social media.
In terms of where I go from here, it’s like I said - The Ranger Archives! The first title under the new series will be released in due course but I have planned for 4 books to chart a few of Asher’s earlier stories. There might be more in the future, sprinkled throughout various larger sagas, but for now I’m just taking a couple of years to write these 4. In that time, alongside writing, I will begin planning in earnest for the next big epic series. You can expect to be transported back into Verda’s most distant history to meet some Dragon Riders!
If you’ve enjoyed this book and the saga as a whole, please leave a review on Amazon. I’m a self-publisher so your comments really help me to get the word out to others. At the end of the day, I’m just a guy with a simple dream really: to be invited to Comic-con San Diego.
Until the next time…
Appendices
Provinces of Illian:
1. Alborn (eastern province) - Ruled by Lord Ruban of house Dardaris, the steward of Velia, Alborn’s capital. Other Towns and Cities: Palios, Galosha, and Barossh.
2. The Arid Lands (southern province) - Ruled by Lord Hasta Hash-Aseem, the steward of Tregaran, the southern capital. Other Towns and Cities: Ameeraska, Calmardra.
3. The Ice Vales (western province) - Ruled by Lord Barnish of house Yendyl, steward of Grey Stone, the capital of the western vales. Other Towns and Cities: Bleak, Kelp Town, and Snowfell.
4. Orith (northern province) - Ruled by King Vighon and Queen Inara of house Draqaro from the city of Namdhor, the capital of Illian. Other towns and cities: Skystead, Dunwich, Darkwell, and Longdale.
5. Felgarn (central province) - Ruled by Lord Harlan of house Stride, steward of Lirian, the heart of The Evermoore. Other Towns and Cities: Vangarth, Wood Vale, and Whistle Town.
Dwarven Hierarchy:
1. Heavybellys - Ruled by King Doran, son of Dorain. Domain: All of Dhenaheim. Rules from Grimwhal.
2. Brightbeards - Governed by
