{"id":5089,"date":"2026-01-04T01:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/the-cloud-warrior-saga-04-fortress-of-fire-holmberg-d-k\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:06:20","slug":"the-cloud-warrior-saga-04-fortress-of-fire-holmberg-d-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/the-cloud-warrior-saga-04-fortress-of-fire-holmberg-d-k\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cloud Warrior Saga 04 -Fortress of Fire – Holmberg, D K"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
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1<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The Shaping of Spirit<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
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T<\/span><\/span>annen Minden sat<\/span> with his legs crossed in front of him, the cold stone floor of the cell beneath him and the stink of damp air filling the air around him. The shaping he performed came more easily than it once did, though still was not as effortless as what he knew was possible. For him to do what he knew necessary, for him to understand why <\/i>he\u2019d been given the gifts the Great Mother had given him, he would need to master not only speaking to the elementals but also shaping.<\/p>\n

The First Mother stared at him, exasperation plain on her face. \u201cYou lose focus so easily. If you think to save this creature, then you will need focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my focus is fine,\u201d Tan snapped. After spending the last two hours sitting across from this woman\u2014the one who had nearly handed the kingdoms to a man determined to simply shape it to his whims\u2014he was tired. His mind ached from the constant repetition of binding the air, water, earth, and fire together. Worse, there was the distant amusement he felt from Asboel. The draasin thought all of this quite a game. From Amia, he sensed only annoyance.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine? If you\u2019re to understand your gifts, you will need to be able to hold your focus regardless of what comes. You might never know you\u2019re being shaped otherwise. And you know how they transformed. They stole from the People. This is not some simple shaper you plan to face.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shot her a look and then shook his head. She deserved his anger, but her punishment was severe enough as it was. No longer able to serve the Aeta, she was instead confined to this windowless room, held with chains wrapped to her ankles that kept her from going more than a dozen steps, and stuck teaching him what she knew of the ancient runes and of spirit shaping. She was one of the wandering people, now trapped for her crimes. What warmth could be found in the weak lanterns flickering in the room gave only enough light to see the bare, rock walls. Somehow, she still managed to carry herself as if she led.<\/p>\n

Tan pulled on a shaping of fire and mixed it with elemental power. He no longer knew if it came from Asboel or one of the lesser elementals. He doubted that it mattered. Fire now came easily to him, flowing from him more freely than any of the other elements. He thought it from the fact that he\u2019d bonded to Asboel, but he wasn\u2019t certain. A nagging part deep within him worried that there was some residual effect from the way fire changed him. The nymid had restored him, but it was possible that fire still influenced him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I will do fine if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her shaping built faster than he could react. As it did, Tan\u2019s connection to the elementals was cut from him, sliced like a knife across his mind. A panic raged through him and he wrapped each of the elements together, binding spirit, and slammed it against her shaping. Her shaping snapped away from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She fixed him with a dark stare. Flint gray eyes met his and didn\u2019t look away, still carrying the intensity and vibrancy he\u2019d noticed the first time he met her. Her one concession to her captivity, letting her silver hair hang loose and wild around her shoulders, magnified the effect. \u201cYou rely on the elementals when you need to learn to rely on yourself. A time may come when the elemental power is unavailable.\u201d Her eyes softened, but only a little. \u201cYou have the power within you. I sense it, as does Amia. You lean on the elementals as a crutch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t \u2018lean\u2019 on them. That\u2019s how my power works.\u201d<\/p>\n

She tipped her head toward the pulsing orange fire glowing in his hand. \u201cYou think your power is confined to the elementals? You shape fire easily enough, unless there\u2019s still a part of you that\u2019s lisincend?\u201d She cocked her head at him, waiting to see if her comment riled him up, before pulling her chains to get more comfortable. \u201cThe elementals may augment your power, but you provide the spark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan sighed deeply. If that were true, that meant he didn\u2019t need to bind the elementals together to reach spirit, but he knew no other way to do it. With the elementals, he could draw on their power, use it to help his shapings. That power could be bound together, woven to form the shaping of spirit he\u2019d used to release himself from her when he\u2019d been trapped in the archives, but it was a form of spirit that was nothing like what she shaped. The effect was often the same, but not always. After all the practice, he suspected he wasn\u2019t meant to shape spirit in the same way.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour way of shaping spirit doesn\u2019t work for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you haven\u2019t taken the time to learn. Spirit is universal. All shapers have the capacity to reach it in some <\/i>way, however vague.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan stared at the fire burning in his hand. The flames danced over his skin, leaving him unharmed. There was the sense of elemental power in the flames, the weak draw of saa in even that much fire. It wasn\u2019t only Asboel guiding fire for him. Someday, he hoped to reach the other elementals as easily. \u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the reason for our power. We are connected to the power that drives this world in ways others are not. Spirit is the binding force for that. Those of us who shape spirit may be able to use it more directly, but all shapers can touch it.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cMost never bother to try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat of the warriors who\u2019ve never managed to reach spirit? Theondar can\u2019t shape spirit. Lacertin couldn\u2019t either.\u201d Unless they simply had never learned the trick of binding them together. Could it be that all <\/i>warrior shapers could shape spirit if they understood how?<\/p>\n

A troubled look crossed over her face and she twisted on the floor to stare at one of the walls.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know why they can\u2019t shape spirit?\u201d Tan asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot why they can\u2019t, but it has long troubled me that shaping\u2014that the use of the elemental power of our world\u2014has diminished. Spirit has long been rare, but the others? When your kingdoms were no more than separate lands, shapers were plentiful. The elementals bonded willingly, teaching those shapers their power. Now? Elementals ignore us.\u201d She fixed Tan with an appraising stare. \u201cOr they had. I am uncertain why that would change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan had learned to listen when the First Mother lectured. In trying to protect her people, she might have done terrible things, but she had an archivist\u2019s knowledge. \u201cSome think power simply fades from us. Others think the elementals have abandoned us,\u201d Tan said, repeating something Roine had once told him.<\/p>\n

The First Mother looked down at her hands. \u201cThe elementals have not abandoned all. And this power is fundamental to our world. It would not simply fade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the archivists search for that reason?\u201d<\/p>\n

She pulled on her chains again, dragging them across the floor. An annoyed look briefly crossed her face before disappearing. \u201cWhen they first came to Ethea, it was to learn and study. Few managed to shape spirit, even then.\u201d She met his eyes. \u201cWhat you do, the way you bind the elements together, is a different form of shaping. Perhaps weaker.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cThey came to study and understand. Only later did they begin to recognize the shift.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA shift? Even in the last generation, shapers have been more and more infrequent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs has the connection to the elementals. They are not as unrelated as you might think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan struggled to find a more comfortable seat. \u201cI\u2019m not saying they aren\u2019t related. Only that I have no idea why. The draasin doesn\u2019t seem to know.\u201d And if he did, would Asboel tell Tan? The draasin had once been hunted by shapers. Why wouldn\u2019t he want to keep them from the world?<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you need to find the reason. This place,\u201d she motioned around her, indicating the university far above ground, \u201conce searched for knowledge and understanding.\u201d The chains rattled as she waved her hands. \u201cNow it\u2019s nothing more than a way to power. There is a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan couldn\u2019t argue with that. When he first came to the university, the Master shapers were barely willing to teach. Only when Tan\u2019s connection to the elementals was known had other shapers offered to teach.<\/p>\n

She pulled on her chains again. \u201cEnough of this talk. You are wasting your time with me.\u201d She gave Tan a pointed look. \u201cDon\u2019t think I don\u2019t know how Zephra will react if she knew you were down here studying with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZephra would prefer I stayed out of all harm. She still thinks me the child from Nor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Mother snorted. \u201cEven in the time I\u2019ve known you, you\u2019ve done a poor job of staying clear of harm. But you are capable, Tannen Minden. That is the only reason I proceed with this. Now. You should focus on spirit alone. Your shapings grow more skilled, but they remain blunt. Until you manage to reach spirit without binding the elements, the shapings will always be that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of my shapings are blunt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have exquisite control of fire,\u201d the First Mother commented. \u201cThere is no reason your other shapings could not be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI speak to the draasin. Some of what I\u2019ve learned possible is from what I\u2019ve seen from the elemental.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak to all of the elementals, Tannen. Do not exclude them simply because you\u2019ve bonded to the draasin. Perhaps that is why you fail to progress with the other elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan shifted. The stone beneath him made his legs ache, especially after sitting as he was for so long. \u201cI don\u2019t speak to the others as I do to the draasin.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wondered if he should share so openly with the First Mother, but she had knowledge about shaping that others didn\u2019t. As much pain as she\u2019d caused, she remained willing to teach, if only in her own way. She had no remorse for what she\u2019d done, but Tan didn\u2019t really expect such emotion of her. Her reasons had been pretty clear: she had done everything she thought necessary to protect the Aeta, even if it meant working with Incendin.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly because you do not listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does that mean? I listen to the elementals. How else would I have learned to speak to them?\u201d<\/p>\n

She tried reaching and pushing her hair out of the way, but the chains holding her prevented her from doing it easily. Instead, she blew on the loose strands of gray hair. \u201cYou think that speaking only to the great elementals makes you powerful? It makes you weaker <\/i>to be so reliant on them. Think of how many draasin remain in the world. And not only fire, but think of water. Will you be able to reach udilm in the middle of Ter?\u201d She tossed her head. \u201cWhat you\u2019ve managed with the elementals is impressive. Now try it with the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that I can speak to the lesser elementals.\u201d<\/p>\n

She flipped her hand at him. \u201cWhy should it be any different with the others?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan bit back the argument that came to mind as he thought about what she was saying. He hadn\u2019t really tried reaching for elementals other than the great elementals. Here in Ethea and in the mountains near the place of convergence, they were easy to find. That was the reason King Althem had wanted the artifact that Tan now stored in the lower archives. But would he find the elementals as easy to reach outside of those places? It had been Asboel who led him to udilm for Elle, not anything Tan had done.<\/p>\n

Then there was the issue with the lesser elementals. With fire, he thought he drew partly on the power of saa as he shaped fire, but what if it was all from Asboel? Would he be able to use the other lesser elementals the same way?<\/p>\n

There was so much for him still to learn and it felt like not enough time for him to understand what he needed. For the safety of the kingdoms, he needed to master this. Now that the barrier was down, Incendin could attack at any time. Alisz, the twisted lisincend, might have been destroyed, but they didn\u2019t know how many of the lisincend remained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see from your face you finally see wisdom,\u201d the First Mother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so much to learn,\u201d Tan admitted. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know if I can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shuffled closer to him, pulling the chains taut. \u201cYou need to embrace your abilities. There will always be things you don\u2019t know. That\u2019s the nature of using the elemental power. Accept that. Recognize that someone <\/i>will always know something you do not. Even working with an element for fifty years will not protect you from that uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan found a hint of unexpected kindness in her eyes and swallowed back the lump forming in his throat. \u201cI\u2019m sorry for what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Mother took a shaky breath. \u201cNot as sorry as I am,\u201d she whispered. She ran one hand over the chains, pressing down as if trying to break the connection. \u201cIt keeps me awake, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho will lead the Aeta? Who will guide them now that I am gone? Always before, we had a succession in place. The First Mother would step aside as another Mother was raised to replace her.\u201d She looked down at her hands, real uncertainty coming to her voice. \u201cWhen I first met Amia, when I felt the strength she would one day possess, I thought I\u2019d finally found that person. Now there is no one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Aeta have survived for centuries,\u201d Tan said, repeating the words Amia told him when they spoke about the Aeta. If the First Mother was fishing for him to commit Amia to again serving the Aeta, she really didn\u2019t know Amia. \u201cYou might have held them together during your time leading them, but another will come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I believed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan leaned back, studying the First Mother. Defiance had once come through in her tone and the strength in her back when she spoke of the Aeta, but now she looked a broken woman. Her thin body no longer seemed to have vigor and instead simply looked frail. Her gray hair had lost its luster. Even the occasional steel in her voice was more and more rare.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She looked up and shook her head. \u201cYou needn\u2019t lie to me to convince me to continue working with you. I have said that I will. It helps pass the time. But don\u2019t try giving me false hope, Tannen. That is beneath even you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know how I feel about Amia. I would do anything to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has abandoned her place with the People.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly because she lost faith in your leadership. She loved her family. Losing them devastated her. For her to learn that the First Mother\u2014the person who should have been responsible for guiding the Aeta and keeping the People safe\u2014had betrayed her family to the lisincend, well that alone would have changed her. But to learn that the archivists had been Aeta, that they had known about her and chosen to bring harm to her, that took away all that remained in her of the Aeta. She may have been one of the Wandering People, but it wasn\u2019t until they abandoned her that she became homeless.\u201d The sense of Amia surged through his connection to her, strengthened as it often was when he thought of her. \u201cI see how it pains her when we speak of the Aeta that still wander. I see how she wishes there was something for her to do. The Aeta don\u2019t have to hide. They can come to the kingdoms and we will help them find safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Mother sniffed. \u201cAll the time you\u2019ve spend with Amia and you still know so little about the People. We do not want <\/i>to have a place where we\u2019re kept. There is freedom to the wagons, to the wandering. That is the way of the Aeta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019re the one who doesn\u2019t understand your people,\u201d Tan suggested, thinking of the way the Gathering had felt. There had been relief in the Aeta at having a place to be together. Amia spoke of it with a sense of joy. \u201cDoes the wandering keep the people safe? You struggled simply bringing everyone together for the Gathering. Wouldn\u2019t it have been better to have safety?\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Mother lowered her eyes. \u201cI <\/i>was to provide safety. That has always been the role of the First Mother. That was my reason behind everything I ever did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now? Seeing what you\u2019ve done? Do you have any regret for the choices you made?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t look up as she answered. \u201cIt\u2019s all I have left.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Book Preview 1 The Shaping of Spirit Tannen Minden sat with his legs crossed in front of him, the cold stone floor of the cell beneath him and the stink of damp air filling the air around him. The shaping he performed came more easily than it once did, though still was not as effortless … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[342],"class_list":["post-5089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-d-k-holmberg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}