Books with author D.K. Holmberg

Dragons have been gone from the world for centuries, though their power remains. A war fought a thousand years ago removed the destructive threat of dragons, allowing fire mages to use the magic stored within their bones to protect the empire for a millennium. The empire has known a fragile peace, held together by that ancient magic. Fes has always longed for stability. Raised within the slums of the empire, taught to steal and hurt others to make his way, when he’s discovered by the emperor’s chief fire mage, he’s given a chance to use his particular gift for gathering lost dragon relics to become something more. An encounter with a priest in possession of a dragon bone reveals the existence of a new power that threatens to return the long dead dragons to the world. Chased by the dangerous enemies, Fes travels into the bleak lands of the Dragon Plains before others can reach it. If he survives, what he discovers means the continued safety of the empire and a promise of wealth and freedom. If he fails, the deadly power of the dragons might return. Yet, with a growing and unexplainable magic within him, it’s the promise of understanding who he truly is that might be the most valuable, only it’s the same power that leaves him with questions some within the empire don’t want answered. Dragon Bones is the exciting first book in an epic new fantasy series. The Dragonwalker Series: Book 1: Dragon Bones Book 2: Dragon Blessed Book 3: Dragon Rise Book 4: Dragon Bond Book 5: Dragon Storm Book 6: Dragon Rider

Water can heal… or destroy.Abandoned by water and washed ashore in a village, Elle is determined to return to the university to resume her studies, wanting nothing more than to escape her homeland. She has never felt a part of Doma and her time away has only confirmed that she was meant for more than she could have by staying.An attack on the village leads Elle to discover a greater connection to water and a bond she never believed possible. She must first understand and then strengthen her bond to the water elemental to survive and learns that bond might be all that prevents Doma from falling.Shaper of Water consists of three novellas previously published separately and follows the events of Bound by Fire in The Cloud Warrior Saga, but can be read and enjoyed separately.

A single mistake has far-reaching consequences for a carpenter's apprentice.With the threat of rogue elementals escaping from the element bond and fear of another attack by the Draasin Lord, life at the edge of Terndahl is difficult for Tolan. Without any magic of his own, he spends his days working a menial job as a carpenter’s apprentice. When an elemental attack draws the attention of the Inquisitors from the Academy, everything changes.A mistake brings Tolan into the Terenhall Academy, a prestigious training ground for powerful shapers, but it’s a world where he doesn’t belong. Unlike his classmates, he can’t control the magic of the element bonds.As elementals continue to escape the bond and attack the Academy, Tolan finds himself in the middle of danger. With no shaping ability, he fears there’s something more to the attacks. Now he must save the Academy and find a way to stop these attacks—and find the one behind them.

The Disciples of the Draasin Lord have again been defeated, yet a traitor remains within Terndahl. The Inquisitors have come, and their presence has everyone on edge.With the help of the Keystone, Tolan has discovered the ability to shape each of the element bonds. Now that he’s passed testing to the second level at the Academy, he finally feels as if he belongs. Still, he can’t shake the feeling that his shaping is different than others—and tied to the elementals. Discovering the reason why leads him to ask dangerous questions. Between that and knowing someone works against the Academy, Tolan finds himself in the middle of a dangerous plot on the Academy itself. Only this time, with Inquisitors involved, he might not be able to escape.

When the assassin Galen is hired to capture a slaver rather than kill, he learns his target is more than she appears. The job takes him deeper into the Eban underworld as he tries to understand how he’s been used, and why his only friend in the city seems to know more than she should. Surviving pits him against those with abilities far exceeding his own, and leads him to realize that he has been a part of a much larger game. For him to escape, he'll have to learn what role he has to play, if only he can discover why everyone wants to use him.Set in the world of The Dark Ability and The Shadow Accords

Jasn wanted nothing more than to hunt the draasin and obtain vengeance for what he’d lost in the Endless War. Time spent in the mysterious barracks revealed depths to the war—and his abilities—that he had never imagined. As he debates whether to continue his education with Alena, he follows her into the depths of Rens where a surprising discovery changes both of their fates, and entwines them more than either desires.Ciara returns from the waste changed, but her return is only a beginning. When her father demonstrates a powerful secret of his own, Ciara must once again leave her home on a journey for answers that will change not only her, but the fate of Rens and the future of the war.

It was to be a routine assassination. And it was... until he saw her.Exiled from his homeland, the assassin Galen never thought he would return, but when he decides to help the beautiful woman he’s been hired to kill, he must face not only an assassin more dangerous than himself, but also his past. Returning her to Elaeavn requires all the skills he’s gained in his time away as he becomes involved in a plot much bigger than a single exiled Forgotten. He can’t go home, but for her he’ll try, even if it means working with old enemies and revisiting a past he wants forgotten. Recently revised and expanded.

Having passed his first test at the Academy, most believe Tolan has proved he belongs. Only Tolan knows the truth: that his shaping required power from the borrowed bondar—and possibly from the elementals themselves. If he can’t find a way to shape without one, he’ll be expelled from the Academy. When he intervenes to stop another attack on the city, he once again finds himself in the middle of the battle between Terndahl and the Draasin Lord. Worse, because of his continued reliance on the bondars, he begins to fear he might be responsible for releasing elementals.Another test approaches. For him to remain at the Academy, he must find real power within himself, but a greater challenge distracts him. With increased attacks on the city, Tolan might be the only one to know what they’re after—and how to stop them.

A warrior to a dying king discovers a destiny he never imagined. The first novel in the bestselling The Cloud Warrior Saga.Part 1 - First WarriorLacertin has served his king faithfully for decades, but has failed on his final mission for him. When he returns to the kingdoms, he discovers a dark secret to the king’s illness, and the only person who can truly help him hides a secret of her own. Lacertin must decide how much he will sacrifice for the people he cares most about. Part 2 - ServantTrapped in Incendin and tormented while searching for answers, Lacertin is rescued by a mysterious priest of Issa. Released from his torture, the priest reveals secrets of Incendin that challenge everything Lacertin thought he knew, and gives him a chance to be something more than the warrior he had been… if only he’s willing to believe in his calling to serve fire.The Cloud Warrior Saga:0. Prelude to Fire1. Chased by Fire2. Bound by Fire3. Changed by Fire4. Fortress of Fire5. Forged in Fire6. Serpent of Fire7. Servant of Fire8. Born of Fire9. Broken of Fire10. Light of Fire11. Cycle of Fire

Dragons will return, but who will control them? After betraying both the empire and the rebellion, Fes and Jayell travel alone, struggling to remain safe when a daring break-in that might provide the needed leverage goes awry. Searching for help requires he go to those who want nothing more than to raise the dragons but it’s where he might finally begin to understand just what it means for him to be Deshazl. Facing a fight for his life, he discovers he’s not as alone as he thought. With new allies, he might finally be able to save Jayell, but he needs to do so before a new threat attempts to use him for his connection to the long lost dragons—and destroy the empire. A decision forces him to come to terms with what he really wants. Does he want the protection of the empire, the rebellion, or does he serve only himself?

A Dragon has risen. Now the fight to protect it begins. Still trying to master his magic, Fes begins to understand the nature of his power— along with the risks. With a resurrected dragon once more in the world and with the empire believing the worst of the threat is gone, the remaining Deshazl must stop the Damhur incursion into the empire. When a rescue of captured Deshazl goes wrong, Fes finds that his knowledge of his Deshazl abilities might not be enough. Having lived most of his life caring only for himself, he’s now a part of something greater. A war thought ended a thousand years ago returns to the empire, but the powers that stopped the war the last time are no longer. Fes must choose how deeply he wants to get involved. Stopping the war means that those he cares for can understand their heritage and finally unravel the secrets of the empire, while failure means a fate worse than death—for both his people and the dragons.

The first 3 books in the Endless War series.A warrior who cannot die. A water seeker who wants only to save her people. An endless war that obscures a threat greater than either have faced before.Journey of Fire and NightJasn, a warrior known as the Wrecker of Rens, seeks vengeance for the loss of his beloved to the deadly draasin during the Endless War, wanting nothing more than to sacrifice himself in the process. When an old friend offers a dangerous chance for him to finally succeed, the key to understanding what he finds requires him to abandon all that he believes.Ciara, a water seeker of Rens living on the edge of the arid waste, longs for the strength to help her people. When the great storms don't come to save her people, she will risk everything for her village on a deadly plan that could finally bring them to safety. Darkness RisingJasn wanted nothing more than to hunt the draasin and obtain vengeance for what he’d lost in the Endless War. Time spent in the mysterious barracks revealed depths to the war—and his abilities—that he had never imagined. As he debates whether to continue his education with Alena, he follows her into the depths of Rens where a surprising discovery changes both of their fates, and entwines them more than either desires.Ciara returns from the waste changed, but her return is only a beginning. When her father demonstrates a powerful secret of his own, Ciara must once again leave her home on a journey for answers that will change not only her, but the fate of Rens and the future of the war.Endless NightCiara has traveled to the barracks but the promised teaching has not come to pass, leaving her worse off than before, and her people without the nya'shin for protection. If she can't master the summoning, she fears the darkness will claim her. But now that the darkness has revealed itself, Jasn must find a way to save Alena from her connection to the draasin before that connection kills her. Only then can he search for whether Katya was destroyed by the darkness, or learn if he can still save her. With her shaping limited, Alena discovers a different reserve of strength, one that will be vital in the coming days.The real war now begins. They all must learn how to suppress the danger of Tenebeth, discover and stop those responsible for summoning the dark, or none will survive.