{"id":5097,"date":"2026-01-04T01:06:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/the-cloud-warrior-saga-08-born-of-fire-holmberg-d-k\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:06:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T01:06:45","slug":"the-cloud-warrior-saga-08-born-of-fire-holmberg-d-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/the-cloud-warrior-saga-08-born-of-fire-holmberg-d-k\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cloud Warrior Saga 08 -Born of Fire – Holmberg, D K"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Book Preview<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

1<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Return to Par-shon<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\n

T<\/span><\/span>he massive tower<\/span> of black stone dwarfed Tannen Minden. Shadows streaked from the stone’s base, stretching out like some wispy finger that strained to touch all of the lands. The shadows might not reach him, but the effect the tower had, the soft chill in his heart, managed to reach him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve avoided this long enough,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n

Amia squeezed his hand. She didn\u2019t need for him to say anything more. The shaped bond between them, at once stronger and deeper than any bond he shared with the elementals, allowed her to know exactly what he felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does not have to be now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

He glanced over at her. Sunlight reflected off the band of gold at her neck, and her blond hair shimmered. He resisted the urge to run his hand through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what you\u2019ve implied before,\u201d he said, and she smiled. \u201cWith everything that I\u2019ve done, I\u2019ve put it off more than I should. And besides, you said the wedding couldn\u2019t take place until\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter,\u201d Amia said with a smile.<\/p>\n

After. The bond between them was more than any ceremony could create but was a formality expected of her as First Mother. Not to mention Tan’s own mother’s expectation.<\/p>\n

Amia touched his nose with the tip of her finger. \u201cNot only your mother wants this wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan touched the sword at his waist as he straightened. They both wanted the wedding as well. After everything that they\u2019d been through, they deserved it. Now there was peace, but both knew they had to do this before they celebrated.<\/p>\n

His sword had a reassuring weight, even more so over these last few months, as he had finally taken to learning how to wield it properly. There was only so much that shaping could do to keep him safe. If needed, he wanted to be capable of fighting in other ways.<\/p>\n

A Chenir swordsman had taught him the most. He had a graceful way of moving that Tan still hadn\u2019t managed to master, and one that likely came from the emphasis on movement and rhythm that began in the cribs of Chenir. That was how they spoke to the elementals.<\/p>\n

Tan sighed. Thinking of Chenir only reminded him of how much had changed\u2014and how much hadn\u2019t. With the threat of Par-shon gone, old animosities had returned. None with the same fervor as before, but how would they ever learn to serve the same purpose if they couldn\u2019t remain united after defeating a common enemy?<\/p>\n

Amia studied him and took his hands in hers, trailing her fingers over the back of it. \u201cYou need to stop thinking about what you can\u2019t control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cControl would be nice,\u201d Tan said with a laugh. \u201cWhat I\u2019d like is consideration. None of them would still be there if not for the others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amia smiled and rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek. \u201cYou act as if they have always been able to see beyond their borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can.\u201d<\/p>\n

She tipped her head in a shrug. \u201cI\u2019m Aeta. We have wandered so long that the borders no longer are meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who have taken to traveling again, what have they<\/i> found?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amia laughed. \u201cBetter than before, if that\u2019s your concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven knowing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cEven knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Aeta were spirit sensers, and some could even shape it, manipulate the element of spirit to force connections. The connections weren\u2019t what people feared: it was the possibility that the Aeta might force something against their will, push them to act in ways that they otherwise would not. Control them.<\/p>\n

Too many had survived such control already.<\/p>\n

And that was why they had come here. \u201cThese people deserve\u2026\u201d Tan still didn\u2019t know what <\/i>the people of Par-shon deserved. Those who had crossed the ocean, using bonds forced upon the elementals, were gone. Many had died, and those who had survived had lost their bonds, leaving them without the same strength.<\/p>\n

But that wasn\u2019t the reason he had avoided making the crossing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d Amia said.<\/p>\n

Par-shon was a city-state. A place unlike any other that he had visited, and isolated for so long that they were different than other nations, strange and unfamiliar in ways that Tan still didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

And he was to rule them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will know that I\u2019ve come,\u201d he said, nodding to the peak of the tower.<\/p>\n

The draasin Asgar had come ahead of him at Tan\u2019s request, and the black and scarlet-scaled elemental now perched atop the tower, sending streamers of flame down along the sides as a warning to Par-shon. He had not asked the draasin to refrain, wanting the people of Par-shon to know that he had returned. And, if he were honest with himself, to fear that he had come. He still didn\u2019t know whether to trust their submission, even though Amia sensed no animosity from them, only fear. After defeating the Utu Tonah, Tan should not have expected anything else.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ve announced that as well as you could,\u201d she agreed.<\/p>\n

He smiled. \u201cI could have announced it better<\/i>. Think of what if I had asked Sashari and Enya to come as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amia\u2019s eyes narrowed as they watched Asgar. \u201cI think one draasin is enough, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t only one draasin, but she knew that as well. Tan had other bonded elementals and never really traveled alone. Asgar had transported Kota across the ocean, bringing the great hound with him. Tan could sense her distantly, prowling across the Par-shon countryside, waiting for him. When this was over, they had other tasks ahead of them. That, more than anything, was the reason that he\u2019d come.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe for now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He took her hand and lifted them on a shaping of wind and fire, stabilizing it with earth as they soared down the valley toward the city and landing at the base of the tower. Months had passed since he last came to Par-shon, and in that time, much had changed. Not as much as he would have wanted, but the world was different. In some ways, he thought it better, but without Asboel flying with him, hunting with him, he didn\u2019t know that he could truly say that.<\/p>\n

Amia squeezed his hand.<\/p>\n

Tan made his way into the black stone Par-shon tower. When he had come the last time, they had named him Utu Tonah for defeating the previous Utu Tonah, a man who had forcibly bonded the elementals and nearly destroyed all the lands across the sea. It was a title Tan did not want, one that he did not deserve, but he could no longer hide from the responsibilities placed on him, responsibilities that he had claimed by working with the other nations to unite them against Par-shon. And now, if he was <\/i>the leader of Par-shon, he ruled over a defeated people who no longer had the same identity or ability to defend themselves, much less so now that he had forbidden forced bonding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why we\u2019re here,\u201d Amia reminded him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then we\u2019ll celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled. \u201cThen we will. After.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could he really have come to claim his title?<\/p>\n

Tan didn\u2019t think he could avoid it any longer.<\/p>\n

Walls that once held runes designed to impede shaping had long since been repaired. Surprisingly, the panels that replaced the damaged runes depicted the elementals, almost as if it were intended to honor them, something that he would never have expected from Par-shon. The halls were otherwise empty, and the one person that they encountered as they reached the wide stair leading to the upper levels of the tower scurried away as soon as Tan and Amia were seen.<\/p>\n

Each step echoed hollowly on the tile, giving the entire place an empty sort of feel. \u201cWhere is everyone?\u201d he asked aloud. Even his voice seemed to echo strangely along the walls before falling mute.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou set a draasin on the top of the tower. Where do you think they have gone?\u201d Amia answered.<\/p>\n

They reached the landing leading toward the wide hall where he had first met the former Utu Tonah. Tan remembered that visit well; it was scarred into his mind as a time when he had not known if he would escape alive. He remembered all too well the fear he had known as he worried about Amia, uncertain whether Par-shon would do anything to her.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019d returned, he had done so as conqueror.<\/p>\n

And now he came as ruler.<\/p>\n

If he didn\u2019t, he risked someone else coming to claim the title and ruling in his stead. He would not accept another attempting to become the next Utu Tonah, especially not if they intended to rule in the same way as the last and force bonds onto the elementals. In some ways, he had <\/i>to lead.<\/p>\n

Tan could almost imagine Asboel laughing at him, the draasin\u2019s voice faint in the back of his mind. He knew it wasn\u2019t real, that the only way to reach Asboel\u2014or at least the memory <\/i>of Asboel\u2014was to reach through the fire bond, and he had not done that.<\/p>\n

At the end of the hall, he stopped. A wide woman stood in a doorway, her hand pausing on the door handle. When she saw him, she froze. Tan half expected her to run, much like the last person they had seen, as she had the last time Tan had been in Par-shon. This woman knew him, though, and had met him before he had defeated the Utu Tonah. She had been a part of his torture.<\/p>\n

Water swirled around her, shaped by her without the need for a bond. It had not surprised him that others still possessed the ability to shape without the bonds forced on them, especially given what he\u2019d learned of some of the bonded shapers that he\u2019d encountered while fighting Par-shon.<\/p>\n

\u201cGarza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She bowed deeply to him, her forehead dropping below her waist as she genuflected. \u201cUtu Tonah,\u201d she said in a hushed whisper.<\/p>\n

Tan tensed, resisting the urge to snap at her, knowing that would not do anything, not even make him feel better. Garza had been a part of what had happened to him here, but she was not to blame for what the Utu Tonah had required.<\/p>\n

Amia sent a relaxing wave of spirit sweeping over him.<\/p>\n

He squeezed her hand and cleared his throat. \u201cYou may stand,\u201d he said to Garza, who straightened and kept her eyes fixed on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere can I find Tolman?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She pointed without saying a word.<\/p>\n

Tan waited for her to say something\u2014anything\u2014but she didn\u2019t. He guided Amia toward the end of the hall and then up the stairs, into a wide, open space. It was the room where he\u2019d first met the Utu Tonah. Now it was empty, a space where there once had been dozens of people. Now there was no one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sense him,\u201d Amia started.<\/p>\n

Tan did as well but couldn\u2019t see him until he found a doorway at the end of the room that he hadn\u2019t seen before. The door didn\u2019t require him to shape it or do anything more than simply twist the handle.<\/p>\n

The other side led out the top of the tower.<\/p>\n

Asgar craned his neck to look at him, his wide golden eyes reminding Tan of Asboel, as did the massive spikes protruding from his long neck and back. Leathery wings were furled in, making him even more imposing in some ways. Maelen, <\/i>he started. These fools think to bow before me. Shall I eat them?<\/i><\/p>\n

Six people lay prostrate in front of Asgar. A soft murmuring came from them, something like a chant. He watched, curious what they might do, but they didn\u2019t seem to notice him.<\/p>\n

He was surprised to note that one of the draasin worshipers was Tolman. The older man bent his neck to the ground, leaving his back exposed.<\/p>\n

I think you would find others more satisfying.<\/i><\/p>\n

Asgar snorted. You might be right, Maelen. No sport in this.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tan smiled. No sport, and you wouldn\u2019t want to kill your worshippers.<\/i><\/p>\n

Asgar regarded the Par-shon lying in front of him with amusement burning in his eyes. Yes. It is only right that the draasin be honored like this.<\/i><\/p>\n

Tan laughed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Amia asked.<\/p>\n

Tan leaned and whispered what Asgar had said. She started to smile as he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine Asboel would have thought differently about having worshippers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tan could imagine Asboel\u2019s reaction. His friend would have snapped and might have <\/i>eaten them, but then, Asboel was one of the ancient draasin, so old that he had a different perspective on the world. Asgar had been born into a world where Tan lived, where he could guide the interactions with the elementals, and where the draasin had never been attacked the same way, hunted as they had been centuries ago. He never had to fear shapers seeking the draasin simply because they were creatures of fire, or hunting them because they could. In many ways, the world Asgar knew was a better world than the one Asboel had known. And if Tan had anything to say about it, Asgar would never know the torment that Asboel had experienced, the thousand years frozen in a lake, all for the benefit of protecting something the kingdoms had created.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Asboel would have made it clear that he had no interest in such worship,\u201d Tan said. He stepped forward and used a shaping of wind to lift Tolman to his feet, drawing him up.<\/p>\n

The thin man gasped, and then realized that it had been Tan who shaped him. His bow was nearly as deep as the one that Garza had demonstrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can stand,\u201d Tan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUtu Tonah. You have returned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan suppressed a sigh. \u201cWill you attempt to worship each of the elementals that I show you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not worship\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lucky he has a sense of humor. He wanted to eat you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tolman\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suggested that he might find another meal more appetizing,\u201d Tan went on.<\/p>\n

Tolman took a step back before catching himself. \u201cYou are generous, Utu Tonah, and your compassion is unrivaled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan shook his head. \u201cWe won\u2019t be able to work together if you bow like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would\u2026 work with me, Utu Tonah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTan,\u201d he said. \u201cPlease call me by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

You should have them call you Maelen. That is a more suitable title than the one that they have chosen for you.<\/i><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think they would appreciate the name the same way the draasin do.<\/i><\/p>\n

The Great One named you well.<\/i><\/p>\n

And Maelen named you well.<\/i><\/p>\n

Asgar chuckled within his mind, although it sounded something like a snort aloud. The Par-shon bowing in front of Asgar all took a step back, away from the draasin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be direct,\u201d Amia said softly. \u201cThey will expect you to lead, so you will need to lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan nodded. It wasn\u2019t comfortable for him to lead, but it was the reason they\u2019d come. He needed to pull Par-shon back in line with the other nations, to work with them rather than against them. And he couldn\u2019t have Par-shon become a threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave them stand and return inside,\u201d Tan said to Tolman.<\/p>\n

Tolman bowed and turned to the other five. He barked a quick word in Par-shon, and they scrambled to their feet and hurried back inside the tower, leaving Tolman the only other person of Par-shon with Tan and Amia.<\/p>\n

He glanced from Tan to Asgar, as if uncertain which he should fear more.<\/p>\n

Tan smiled tightly. Asgar might eat Tolman, but Tan could shape him, and Tolman knew that Tan had been the reason the Utu Tonah had been defeated, not the draasin. Still, there was something terrifying and majestic about the draasin, and he didn\u2019t blame Tolman for staring at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow does Par-shon fare?\u201d Tan asked.<\/p>\n

Tolman pulled his eyes up and met Tan\u2019s. \u201cYou ask about the fate of Par-shon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would know what has changed in the time since the Utu Tonah was defeated. Tell me, Tolman, how do your people fare?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are your people now, Utu Tonah. You rule as you see fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he intended to rule, Tan needed to have Tolman and the others understand that he wouldn\u2019t rule the same way the previous Utu Tonah had. He had no intent of remaining in Par-shon for long. Long enough to see that those who remained ruled as he would choose. He would be as benevolent as possible, but he would have them fall into line. There would be consequences for what had happened before.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I see fit,\u201d Tan repeated. \u201cHave the runes all been destroyed?\u201d<\/p>\n

When he had come through the last time, carrying the body of the former Utu Tonah, he had destroyed as many of the runes pressed into the tower as he could. He would not be surprised that others remained, probably more than he could detect. Given the purpose of the runes\u2014to prevent shaping and sever the connection to the elementals\u2014he wouldn\u2019t <\/i>be able to detect them.<\/p>\n

All except spirit. The Utu Tonah had not understood spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe runes are gone as you required, Utu Tonah,\u201d Tolman answered.<\/p>\n

Tan watched him, searching for some sign that he might be hiding something from him, but saw nothing. With spirit, he layered a light touch on Tolman, searching for additional evidence of what might be concealed. There was a time when Tan would have felt a twinge of guilt at using spirit in this way, but that time disappeared when Par-shon attacked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is good. And what of the other request I made?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUtu Tonah?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulling through his connection to Amia, Tan could access a greater connection to spirit than he could otherwise. Using this connection, and drawing through his warrior sword, he sent a shaping of spirit that washed over all of Par-shon. As he did, he listened for the response.<\/p>\n

He detected nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour shapers,\u201d he said. \u201cI would know your shapers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Utu Tonah, you have instructed that we have no shapers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan took a deep breath, pushing back the surge of irritation that he felt. That hadn\u2019t been his instruction, but he would give Tolman the benefit of the doubt, knowing that the man must have been under some fair amount of strain trying to monitor Par-shon in Tan\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I left the last time, I asked you to come up with a list of the shapers who were able to use the power of the elements without the forced bonds. I know that there are shapers within Par-shon who do not require forced bonds for their ability,\u201d Tan said. \u201cThere might even be shapers capable of bonding to the elemental the right way.\u201d He didn\u2019t want to think about whether his way even was <\/i>the right way. Forced bonds certainly weren\u2019t the way the elementals were meant to bond. Most would never choose a bond, but for those that did, there was great power in that connection. \u201cI would have you bring the list to me. Those who have potential but still have not learned will go to the university to learn. The others will be given an opportunity to be useful and prove themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had debated what to do with those who demonstrated real potential. There would be shapers, and some with potential. With as few shapers as existed in the world these days, Tan thought it best to find some way to pull them all together. They would need training, and the university could offer that education. Having them learn there, from shapers with an increasing ability to connect to the elementals and speak to them, to know the benefits of the bond the same way that Tan did, would be another opportunity to bring their people together.<\/p>\n

\u201cUtu Tonah,\u201d Tolman said. His face had gone white, and Tan wondered what he\u2019d said that bothered him. \u201cIt will be as you ask. If you don\u2019t mind a question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never have to fear asking questions, Tolman,\u201d Tan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight you share how you intend for them to reach the university?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan smiled and nodded to Asgar. The draasin had agreed, mostly because he thought it amusing and figured that he would have the opportunity to scare some of the Par-shon shapers. But Tan had wanted to use the draasin for a different reason. Using the draasin, sharing the fact that the elementals were not something to be feared, would hopefully keep the future shapers of Par-shon from wanting to attack the draasin when they leaned to control their abilities.<\/p>\n

Tolman\u2019s agitation faded as he gained control of himself, and he nodded. \u201cWhen we present them to you, how long will you remain here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan hadn\u2019t considered how long he and Amia would stay in Par-shon. He had intended to come and find the shapers, and then use the time while in the country to learn what he could about the hybrid elementals that had been created, elementals that he had managed to heal while wrapped in the power of the combined shaping from each nation, but he had not intended to remain much longer than that. But when he left, what would he do? Returning to the kingdoms meant that he would be subject to Roine\u2019s moods. He had spent time in Incendin, learning more about the people there, as well as working with Cora in the Fire Fortress. Even Doma and Chenir had offered him lessons.<\/p>\n

When he returned, he and Amia would marry. But not before.<\/p>\n

It was Amia who reminded him that he had been away from Par-shon for long enough. He owed it to the people to make an appearance; either that or to assign someone to rule\u2014truly rule\u2014in his stead. He was not willing to abandon Par-shon to someone who might not have the same goal that he did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will remain as long as I\u2019m needed,\u201d Tan said. \u201cNow. I would like to know where I will sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview 1 Return to Par-shon The massive tower of black stone dwarfed Tannen Minden. Shadows streaked from the stone’s base, stretching out like some wispy finger that strained to touch all of the lands. The shadows might not reach him, but the effect the tower had, the soft chill in his heart, managed to … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[342],"class_list":["post-5097","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\/5097","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=5097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}