Valrin has always sought adventure... but he never knew his true tie to the vast seas and how his every choice could rock the very foundations of the world.

On a desolate island in the far North, Valrin is an orphan surrounded by empty oceans with a yearning for a life beyond the icy shores of his home. Little does he know that this morning would set him on a path he never expected. Chosen by the ascended and destined for darkness, he will soon learn what it means to be Stormborn.

Facing dwarven pirates, exploring forgotten ruins, and unlocking a sailing vessel with the secrets of a lost race, he'll race across the oceans as he prepares to take the helm of his destiny in this coming-of-age adventure like none other.

This series has everything: Dragon riders, sea monsters, vampire lords, a sneaky rogue, a shadow elf wizard (and his albino sea snake, Rasi!) ... if you can imagine it, Valrin and the crew will likely meet it, friend it, or face it in battle!

If you're expecting the typical coming-of-age story... you couldn't be more wrong. This saga is a blending of epic fantasy and the Indian Vedic Mahābhārata with a sprinkle of Dungeon and Dragons-inspired characters and a host of enemies and companions like none other!

Stormborn #1

Part One: Of Eels and Dwarves

It was an early morning in the southern Glacial Seas before the sun had risen over the white-capped waves, when to his own desires, a young boy pushed off his blanket and sat up.
He was a determined young man, and though the house was warm and a breakfast was an arm’s reach away, he had always felt alone. This was his home, as much as he could call it one. He had no mother and he had no father. He was Valrin, the orphan of eels, or so he had playfully been named now that he spent his mornings gathering them. His Aunt Tua looked after him. She wasn't his true aunt, but he was thankful for her. There were few warm arms to be had in the fishing village of Travaa, and there was even less warmth outside.
Valrin chewed on a fish cake with red berries and strapped up his boots. Donning a slightly bigger-than-needed coat, he slipped on his gloves and pushed open the door.
It was just now entering the months of fall in the southern lands, but the polar lights greeted him. One of his few friends in this desolate port town.
The town itself was built into the rocky shores that went up from a cove that was frequented by fishers in sour weather. The few houses that had sprouted up were generally guest homes used only during the fishing season.
As he went toward the water's edge, he checked two traps for eels. The fishers loved eels and he wasn't too sure why. He never had much luck fishing with them himself but perhaps it was different out at sea. He had never gone fishing on one of the massive ships and actually seen what they used them for. He always hoped to, but he never had a chance.
"Two," he said to himself. "That ought to get me a bit of coffee."
Coffee was a much sought-after substance that Aunt Tua loved. She had looked out for him for as long as he could remember, and she was actually part elven. It got her in trouble by some of the other fishers. The people of the Glacial Seas sought to keep to themselves and their own races. There were no other elves on the island but she was okay with that. It was strange, in a way, but her careful watch always made Valrin feel like something was different about him. For a while, the fishers said he was good luck. There was even a rumor he had washed ashore during a horrible storm and was chosen by the storm itself to live. Aunt Tua was never very specific on how he came to be.
For years, he heard the names "Storm Child” and “Ocean Soul," but he never felt offended by them. He loved the ocean and storms. As powerful as they could be they made him feel truly alive. As he grew older and now edged toward the years of being a man, by the standard, there were even more peculiar looks at him.
As the sun began to rise, he passed one of the fishers who was much older than the rest.
"Valrin, have you gotten any of your slimy bastards?"
He nodded. "Yes, sir, I do. Were you needing one?"
"Nope, but I have a feeling you will have some traders coming in. I'm going to go fish myself. There are dwarven vessels on the horizon. You know they always bring good wares."
Dwarves were the best for the oddities, and Valrin pranced up the hill to where he could see the other side of the island and the approaching ships. There were several in the outline of the orange sky. He quickly ran to his other traps and began to sack his catches. Running from one part of the island to the other, he went to every nook he’d hid his traps. The people of the village cared little to search for eels themselves. Besides, why do it when they could have a young boy like Valrin do it?
As he returned to his house, Aunt Tua looked him up and down.
"Now you're looking a mess this 'morn."
"I am. Thank you for the fish cakes. You know how much I love them."
"That I do. I was feeling a bit restless last night. I couldn't concentrate. I will be happy when the dark winter comes. Did the other fisher leave out like she said?"
"She did. Her boat is gone."
For the past few weeks, Valrin had spent his days with an elven minstrel fisher named Evia. It was a strange combination, a minstrel fisher, and she was a rare sight. A woman of younger years, and one who took a liking to Valrin.
"Vals," she would say, "you mustn't worry about what others do unless it is their actions that cause harm. Then you must deal with them."
Valrin remembered this and kept it in his mind. He had heard many sayings of the wise, but this one made sense to him more than any. He had seen many misgivings in the port. He had even seen men killed over money.
There was much evil in the world, and he could only do so much to not be saddened by it.

Though Aunt Tua would have rather he waited until they had settled in, it was clear the dwarven vessel he had seen at sunrise was approaching the wooden docks. He quickly carried his simple creatures to see what the dwarves would trade. He knew Aunt Tua wouldn't mind. She stayed indoors during the day and always told him she loved the night, and though it was strange to many, he understood it. As he came near the docks, he noticed this was no fishing ship as he had seen before.
It was a large ship, with green rails and massive pointed crossbows along its deck.
Many stocky dwarves stomped down a gangplank, and a few of them had blood on them.
There was one man who stood in front of them. Valrin didn't like the look of him. He seemed to like bones and was not afraid to shake some poor sea creature's skull at the fishers who had come to greet him.
"I say to you all," he began, "I am a simple dwarf. I only seek a dangerous man who has thus far evaded my capture. There is a ship. Its center mast is destroyed. It has a rough crew of the most dangerous types. Elves. Men. A woman who casts magic from her hands. We need your help. If you see this ship, if it makes port, with great care, simply cast the contents of this bag in a fire."
He handed the bag to one of the fishers.
"I will personally pay the entire island a sum of one thousand pieces of gold and supplies to last the winter tenfold for the capture of this crew."
"Tenfold?" the man taking the sack asked. "What could a crew do so much as to be worth this kind of reward?"
"Do not worry of it," the dwarf said. "Just know that their captain is dangerous and none of them can be trusted. I had some of my own betray me to him, and I would like to deal with the deserters."
The dwarf smiled, and the others with him laughed as they went back to their ships.
Valrin dropped his bag. The dwarves were already leaving.
The men talked among themselves of the vast reward they had been offered. Whoever these wanted people were, they would not be wanted for long.

Valrin was down for the rest of the day. The dwarves, though of a fleet of many ships, were not interested in trade, and it seemed no other ships would come in. Valrin sat on a bluff overlooking the harbor as the sunset began to fall.

"Aye, I know where the wind does blow,
Over icy waters blue,
Forever wandering the depths,
Of a sailor's life, I wish I knew.

Sunrise high and across the sky,
Sun sinks low and starlight shines.
A long night, winter cold and dark,
The polar lights of godly signs.

‘Ever a night, I think and wish,
For my parents to come from the sea,
Take me back and teach me why,
I only remember a stormy sky.”

Valrin closed his eyes and lay back. He looked up at the sky and thought of the island he had called home for so long. The winds blew over him, and he took a deep breath. He then heard something. Something that seemed frantic in nature.
He looked up to see that a ship was coming into the harbor but not very quickly at all. It had red sails, and the center mast was broken down the middle. Men used rows to move the ship onto the shore.
As night began to fall and the sun was just leaving the sky, Valrin jumped up and ran down the bluff to the shoreline.
He wondered if this was the ship. The vessel the dwarves searched for. He was one of many who were now on the shore. There were several crewmembers looking out, and several more looking behind them.
A tall man jumped to shore and immediately put his hands up at the rather rowdy group of islanders.
"I am Edanos of the free vessel Truest Bliss. We come with no arms drawn, seeking peace."
One of the fishers stepped forward. Valrin knew him as Guna. In his hand was the sack given to them by the dwarf from before.
"We had heard of a ship. Dwarves are lookin' for you."
The crew of the Truest Bliss seemed to become disgruntled. There was a shorter man next to Edanos who whispered up to him. A woman stood to his right and pointed to the tree line, and Edanos looked and seemed to nod in agreeance.
"People of this isle, I do not have the fortune of the dwarf captain, nor do I seek to buy your loyalty. I have a small supply of grain for payment to take one of your tall trees on the bluffs. We will need no assistance in harvesting it, and by morning, or sooner, we will be gone."
Guna drew a small blade, as did other fishers, while a vast majority lifted up an arrangement of spiked hoes and even a gigging stick.
"You will not be going anywhere. You will be staying, and we will have a happy winter courtesy of a dwarf's reward.”
The many crew aboard the ship drew back longbows. Valrin noticed they were elves. The shorter man grasped a hammer.
Is he a dwarf? Valrin wondered. He didn't seem to have an issue with this captain.
The woman beside Edanos lifted her hands, and a blast of fire landed just before Guna.
"We may be kind,” Edanos said, "but do not threaten my crew, fisher."
"Braei, send the man to the afterlife," the shorter man said. "Archers, prepare to release!"
About that moment, Aunt Tua pushed her way through the crowd.
"What kind of nonsense is happening here?" she asked.
Guna pointed. "These are wanted men, and a good reward is wanted for their heads."
"And how is a wee man like you going to get that reward with several elven arrows in your chest? Not to mention that war hammer." She turned to the captain. "Your crew is welcome to my house, and ignore these rascals. They are only here for a season. It is just me and the boy Valrin here all the time.”
Valrin joined her, and Edanos signaled his crew to stand down. Those fishers gathered seemed to do the same, except for Guna.
Edanos went to Aunt Tua and bowed. "Thank you. I assure you we will be here only as long as necessary."
The fishers all went their own way as the bulk of the ship’s crew disembarked. Guna shook his head, obviously disgruntled, but having lost his support, he, too, sank away.
Valrin watched as many elves stood on different parts of the ship. They were tirelessly watching the opening of the cove.
As a large group of the crew, including the one called Braei and the dwarf, went to harvest the tree, the captain was beckoned to Aunt Tua's house.
Valrin was amazed of the man. He had no hair on his face, a strange fact for those of the Glacial Seas. He wore a dark tunic with metal brooches and a curved sword.
"Mr. Edanos, will you sit and have some tea? I have a large stew I've been cooking and a store of dried meat. If it is not enough for your crew, my apologies. I didn't expect such an arrival this time of year."
"Your kindness is almost overbearing. I will gladly accept, and thank you for your words against the men outside."
She smiled. "They are too simple-minded to even be called men. They are pigs, in truth, and I'm happy when they leave. You have an attractive woman with you. I'd say watch her."
Edanos laughed. "Braei can well take care of herself in an unscrupulous crowd. I promise."
As Valrin stared at the captain, he looked away as he was noticed by Edanos' careful eyes.
"Do you live here, son?"
"I do."
"Your father a fisher?"
"I do not know him. My father and mother were lost to me. I came here in a storm."
Aunt Tua seemed to look at Edanos as he nodded and centered his gaze. "A boy of the storm? There are legends of such boys and girls, at least among the seafaring folk. A lost race of long ago, before the seas covered these lands, was said to bless the realm with certain souls who would be born of storms who had access to the old knowledge. They actually created souls. Can you believe it?"
Valrin nodded but he wasn’t actually sure he believed it.
"I have spent much time on the many seas of our lands, but these seas call to me. There is something to be upon these waters with the story I just told you. I, too, have no parents to call my own, but the sea has been good to me. I have great friends, and we do what we can to help those in need. These pirates are the worst kind. They may promise riches, but they will take over your island. You will be taken care of, but only as slaves."
"A bit rough for a young boy to hear?" Aunt Tua said.
"True, but this world is rough. A world full of the coddled is a world in chaos. I find it is better to accept truth as it is."
There was a knock at the door, and Edanos jumped, his hand to the hilt of his blade. Aunt Tua opened the door, and in stepped the short man.
"Looking for our captain," a man said.
"Come on in," she told him. "He is here."
As he stepped into the house, followed by the woman, Aunt Tua beckoned them to sit as well.
"The wood is in place," Braei said. "It will hold until we can get to a proper shipwright. But we should avoid any run-ins until we have a proper job done."
"Aye," the short man said, "and storms, or we'll be fishing our sails out of the seas!"
"Braei, Rortho, this young man is Valrin of the seas."
"Another?" asked Rortho.
Aunt Tua seemed to be more disgruntled. But Valrin wasn't sure if that was exactly the emotion. She was suddenly more distant than before.
"Yes," Edanos confirmed, "one like me. One destined for the water."
As it was now clear to the others that Aunt Tua was upset, Braei stood to help her serve the food.
"Thank you, ma'am, for the hospitality. The fishers are tending to our other crewman. It seems your words have caused a change of heart from the others here."
"Yes," she said plainly.
She served the food to them and sighed before going towards her room. Valrin was curious of it but then turned to the others as they ate. Edanos took out a ring he kept in one of his pouches. He handed it to Valrin.
"Have you seen one of these?"
Valrin shook his head. The ring had a brilliant speckled white glow in the center of a blue field.
"It allows you to go under the surface of the water but not drown. It is only usable by some. Put it on. Let us see if you possess what I believe you do.”
Valrin put on the ring slowly, a bit concerned over what he was actually doing. As the metal rested on his finger, it began to glow slightly.
Edanos smiled. "We are brothers of the same world, Valrin. I'm happy we have met."
It was at that moment that Aunt Tua emerged from her room. She had a single silver chained piece of jewelry in hand. She handed it to Valrin with tears in her eyes. He was confused. He had never seen her so upset, and he was worried of why. As the fire glowed behind her, she sat down at the table.
"I knew at some point the truth would be known, but I did not know it was now."
Edanos sat up in his chair.
"You have only been with me for just over twelve years, but when you came here, I was already older than you may believe. I came to the north for the darkness. I was infected some time ago with a kind of curse that while I received a potential cure, it did not remove my sensitivity to the harsh sun.
"I had prayed to Wura to give me purpose in this desolate place, and that night, you washed ashore with that amulet. I took up my guard of you. I accepted my curse and remained here, watchful. I had a purpose and I rid myself of my cure to assure I could protect you." She gave him the amulet. "I know not what it is, but I do not believe in coincidence. Not anymore, at least. Perhaps this man can tell you more of it. I have a feeling about him."
Edanos leaned in, looking at the amulet in Valrin's hand. He touched it with his hand and then nodded, looking at the boy.
"This is special, something that's a sign of—"
A hurried knock on the door cut off the captain's words. He stood up as Braei made it to the door before anyone else. It was one of the elves.
"Captain! The men are all sick; they put something in our food."
Those within the house stumbled out. Valrin immediately noticed that many of the crew were lying on the ground, grabbing their stomachs. It also seemed that other members of the crew had not eaten, and angrily held their weapons out at the fishers. It was then Valrin looked up to the bluffs. The other fishers had lit a large fire, and a white glowing plume filled the sky over the island.
"It is a signal," Rortho said." They are signaling the fleet."
"Then we must go now," Edanos ordered. Valrin and Aunt Tua stood back as the three sailors moved toward their crew on the ground. Gura stood between them and the sickened crewmembers. A large group of dwarves came from the ship.
"We see our old master coming this way quickly. We must go now."
Edanos drew his curved blade, holding it toward Gura. "I only kill when I must, and this is looking to be a situation that doesn't fair well for you, fisher."
Valrin noticed several ships on the edge of the cove making a slow but deliberate approach. From what he could see in the moonlight, none of these looked exactly like the ship that had been here before.
"Stay, Valrin," Aunt Tua told him.
She began to walk at a hastened pace toward the confrontation between the crew of the Truest Bliss and the fishers.
He followed behind, although kept back far enough to hopefully not alert his aunt.
"You can strike me, Captain," Gura said, "but I assure you, you will die by the hands of one of the many on this island."
Aunt Tua walked up to Gura and pushed him in the chest. "You have had good catches this year. The gods have blessed you, and this is how you repay them. By selling out a crew who has not shown any violence to you."
Gura pushed her back and pointed at her face. "You inbred elf, why don't you act normal for once in your life. I should have waited until morning. I wouldn't have to see your scarred face, you filthy bitch. I know who else spends their nights up, but you're not even an ounce as attractive as a harbor wench from a few islands over. You're old, washed out, and weak."
Gura kicked her in the stomach, and she fell to the ground. He spat on her, and then Valrin noticed she was to her feet in a flash, to the utter surprise of the fisher.
"You know not who you speak to, human," she yelled.
It was that moment when from the darkness of the bluff came several figures. Edanos looked up.
"Rugag," he said to the others.
As the figures approached, the captain from before, Rugag, was clapping.
"Very good, very good. I knew they would come here. I had hoped to get at least some sleep, but we were never too far away."
Rugag went to Gura and handed him a bag of silver.
"A payment on a promise to be had in time. You've done good for your island. It will now be a port for the dwarven lord of Barbs. All upon the island and the waters surrounding it, are now under the protection of His Majesty and all property here is now his."
A sudden grumbling roar came from the other fishers.
"Keep calm, keep calm," he said. He then walked toward Edanos, lifting his ax up as he did.
"Come quietly, you sea wretch. I have enough men to take three dwarves and ten Rusis. I can take you, alone."
Rugag then looked down at Valrin. His eyes widened, and he stepped past Aunt Tua. He pointed a chubby finger at him.
"A Stormborn here? This amulet, it is what we need. Come here, boy!"
Valrin stumbled backward and began to run just to have Rugag grab him.
He began to scream, kicking and punching before taking aim with his fingers and digging into the dwarf's eye. Rugag threw him onto the ground and cursed.
"Damn boy." He lifted his ax up to strike when Aunt Tua suddenly jumped over Valrin, grabbing the ax, and her face turned white. She let out a blood-curdling scream. Her mouth elongated, and sharp fangs glistened in the moonlight.
"Vampiric bitch!" He punched her in the face, dropping his ax and driving a jagged dagger into her throat.
"Aunt Tua!" Valrin cried.
A blast of magic struck the ground near them, and Valrin felt a hand grab him. He looked up at the deck of the Truest Bliss. Elven archers fired into pursuing dwarves as he was carried up the gang plank. Valrin was tossed on to the deck of the ship by Edanos, who then shouted to the crew.
"Cast off! We must go now!"
Braei stood on the plank, helping the few of the crew who could still walk, and pulling another who just happened to be on the ground right near her.
"They’re killing the others," Rortho said, tossing two more of the crewmen on the deck.
"We have to raise the sails. The other vessels are upon us,” Edanos said.
Braei began to pull up the plank to the ground when several dwarves came upon her. Valrin watched from the railings as she reached out, a blast of fire throwing one back. Another slammed his ax just over her head, and she turned, attempting to pull herself on deck.
One of them grabbed her leg, and in a shrieking flash, Aunt Tua was on them. Her face was covered in blood, and her body had multiple stab wounds.
"Aunt!" he cried out, but she turned her attention to other dwarves.
Rortho pulled Braei up and then the gangplank as the ship began to lurch forward.
"Valrin! Stay down!" Edanos ordered. A series of bolts flew across the deck, and he fell to his stomach, crawling away from the fire that took many elves and men off the deck of the Truest Bliss. He had thought of sailing many times, but he never imagined it as this.
From his spot behind a stack of crates, he saw the massive ships on either side of them. Braei ran along one edge of the ship, casting bolts of lightning from her fingertips as ropes with claws came along the railings of the ship. Men cut them and slashed at dwarves who attempted to board them. A loud and harsh horn called from the two ships, and several more dwarves came in waves upon the deck.
Edanos, who had been at the helm of the ship, dropped down to the deck level and began fighting the intruders. In several swathes and parries of his sword, he forced his way along one side, cutting the hold the ship on their right had, before turning to the one on the left.
"Kill them!" Valrin heard shouted from the shore. "Kill them all, except Edanos!"
The wind seemed to increase. The sails of the ship lifted up, and they broke away from the one ship; however, the other ship was still boarding them.
“Their sails!" Rortho shouted. "Take out their sails, Braei!"
The Rusis shot a blast of fire toward the other ship, catching one sail aflame before another crossbow bolt flew into the side of the ship.
Valrin stood up, seeing the tensed rope in the ship. It was just out of range of sword, and it seemed the Rusis was now engaged with two other dwarves. Valrin saw a large spear. He grabbed it and ran to the edge, stabbing the rope, attempting to fray it and break the hold the ship had on them. Smaller bolts began to fly toward him, striking the wood around his head. Dwarves on the ship saw him, and they had no issues with killing someone as young as Vals, especially aboard this ship.
As a massive crank on the ship began to pull the Truest Bliss into a fatal position, a screech split the air, and Aunt Tua appeared on the deck of the opposing ship. She tore apart the mechanisms and slashed her clawed hands into the dwarves who faced her. She then jumped onto the rope holding them in place and bit the line. The rope dropped, and she jumped back to the edge of the dwarven vessel. Several ax heads cut into her head, and she fell into the water.
Valrin began to cry.
"Now, lift sails. Let's get out of this place!" Edanos said.
Valrin followed the captain up to the upper deck as they moved with haste out of the cove. There were many ships on the other side of the island, but in their folly, the dwarves had not expected them to escape. They reached open sea and began heading north, Valrin's home well behind them.
Valrin collapsed on the wooden deck. Edanos gave the wheel over to Rortho. Braei came up to the same area, and he tapped her on the back.
She looked to him. "That was close, Captain. We lost at least thirty men, but—"
He cut her off and dropped down to Valrin. "She was your only family you had known?"
With tears falling down his face, he nodded.
"Do not worry, son. You are with us. Your aunt was a kind woman, and her curse, as she called it, ended up saving your life and the lives of my crew. I, too, was like you with no family. You will call this ship home."
Valrin looked up and forced a small smile.
Edanos pulled him to his feet. "You need rest, and this ship is far from danger, and for now, we can assure you sleep. We can talk more of our futures tomorrow."
Edanos took him to a lower level and a single door with a golden outline around it. This was the captain's quarters.
Valrin looked around at the large collection of books, trinkets, and sea charts. He had seen something like this when he was only a few years old. A large vessel came to port and he got to go aboard. He had never forgotten that. Now, he was on a ship himself. As he explored more, he noticed that there were several simple beds with small circular windows looking out to the sea.
He sat down on one, and Edanos smiled. "Sleep well, young Valrin. There is much we will speak of tomorrow."

This bundle includes the ENTIRE Stormborn Saga series not available anywhere else!

• Stormborn
• Mage Soul
• Elf Bane
• Ranger's Fury
• Black Moon
• Aieclo
• Epochs
• Shards of Etha
• Shadow Cry
• The Dark Compass
• Eye of Storms
• Heir of the Sea Captains
• Cataclysm
• Ascension

USA TODAY BESTSELLING author J.T. Williams writes both epic fantasy, inspired by the likes of Tolkien, Salvatore, and Brooks, along with darker sword and sorcery, fueled by countless hours playing Elder Scrolls, The Legend of Zelda, and many other fantasy RPG/ MMORPGs.

Growing up in Texas, he spent most of his time in the woods and creeks, chasing down goblins and orcs with an overactive imagination... mostly. Now, after years as a paramedic and further inspired by visiting far away places like Japan, Bali, and France (and being a bit lost, as in the picture here!) he continues to bring a brutal realism to the ever-growing Dwemhar Realms universe. Looking for a new world to jump feet first into? You've found it!

When he isn't writing, he wages war in his backyard with his children having make-believe battles against the orcs invading from next door. His five little orc slayers are his life.

As a longtime lover of fantasy and the surreal, he hopes you enjoy his contributions to the world of fantasy and magic.