Elemental Thief Part I : Child of Calamity
The Second compilation of the Sword Keeper Omnibus.
Over a century has passed since the marriage of King Drakos and Queen Verana and though the time has been relatively short for the long-lived races, the human kingdom of Clairval has allowed the stories of the Sword Keepers, and the Iron Oath, to fade into mythos.
The Peers of Clairval, the 13 founding families, have become deeply divided and both the Rakier's and Del Rei's have been out of royal favour for generations. The regency is struggling under the corruption of greed and cruelty and the humans have all but lost the faith of the Vayan and Rulin allies they desperately need.
The Rakier longsword has been mounted to the wall, it's blue stone pommel having lost its light decades ago, and the swords of Verana have not been seen since they were returned to the wild a century before.
And there is a growing threat to the west. The massive Xercosian Empire has been subjugating the world on its path east, and Clairval's human allies have begun to fall one by one. Plots within the street of Clairval whisper of deals with demons and monsters that can decimate cities in a night.
Teresa Agrona has been on her own since her mother died of a mysterious illness, the child of a woman from a dark past. Living on the streets and looking out for those few other children who are precious to her, Teresa is double crossed and arrested, threatened with certain death in the corrupt Clairvalan justice system.
Darya Rakier is the second born daughter of Morningside, carrying on the family tradition of sailing, trading, and adventuring; anything to keep her away from home and the older sister she loves but can't stand to be around.
Neither woman is a hero. Neither of them are trying to do anything more than survive in a world that has lost the shine of hope. But it's that very world that needs them to save it from the coming darkness.
